Silver City

June 28, 1983, Tuesday

The scheduled 8:00am start was delayed until 8:30am due to an unplanned visit to City Hall. The running club members wanted me to meet some city officials prior to leaving the city. Of course, I was anxious to get on the road to get moving, but I did my best to follow through as a good ambassador.

It was very hot by the time I started running. The police escort that I had for the first 7km did not make it any cooler, but it was nice to be ensured a safe passage even if for a relatively short distance. The Gotsu Chief of Police gave me a reflector-sash after hearing about my close encounters with cars in the dark mountain tunnels. That was really nice of him. The sash was not too heavy for me to carry, and was definitely worth the weight if it was going to improve my chances of survival. This gift is a very practical one and I really appreciate the Police Chief's kindness and consideration for my safety.

I reached the town of Nima after 32km of running today. Today was an easy day, distance-wise. I was finished by around 11:45am in front of City Hall. The office employees were outside of the building to greet me at the finish line. Receiving flowers for the first time on this run was a big surprise for me. I chatted for a few moments with the mayor and then went to Mr. Kanzo Ito's (Japan Marathon Association President's) sister's ryokan. I checked into a very traditional Japanese inn that looked like it had quite a history. I love these old structures and prefer to stay in these over the modern business-type hotels. I relaxed by soaking in the onsen. This is what I call the real Japanese experience.

Later I toured Omori and Nima. This area at one time produced the bulk of the silver that was mined in Japan, which was about one-third of the world's entire production. The mines started producing silver from about 1526 and continued for about 400 year Francis Xavier, the Spaniard who introduced Christianity to Japan, wrote from Goa, India to Father Rodriguez in Portugal, "Castilians call these islands (Japan) the Silver Archipelago... As for the availability of silver, no other island has been found other than the Silver Archipelago." (From a letter dated April 8, 1552 in Goa, addressed to Rodriguez). Many lives were lost while working in the mines over the centuries, and the areas around the mineshafts are scattered with graves. See photo above for some of the old graves near the mine.

After visiting the mine, I went to Nima Shogyo High School to talk with some of the students until the evening. We had another party with lots of food. I also did not forget to get my share of Kirin Beer.