Life Onboard LAST UPDATE  July 12, 2005
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January 15 2005 In Pictures – Photo Tour VI of Life Onboard
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Makoto Arai is a well-known didgeridoo player throughout Japan. Having spent much time in Australia, he has perfected the art of didgeridoo breathing and performance and came onboard from Tahiti to Sydney to entertain Peace Boat with his amazing musical talents. He also gave workshops on playing the didgeridoo and was able to hold several bamboo saxophone making workshops.
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Makoto was able to bring his partner Yasuko and two children onboard with him and in secret, together with an enthusiastic Peace Boat team, he organized a surprise wedding ceremony. Though legally married for 10 years, this was their first actual ceremony. Thinking she was in a fashion show for wedding dresses around the world, his partner and beautiful pianist Yaseko arrived out on deck to find over 300 people, the sounds of the wedding march, and Makoto’s best friend and guest speaker Mick Martin from Australia there to perform the marriage.
Yu Tanaka is a leading environmental economist in Japan who joined Peace Boat from Tahiti to Auckland. He is a very active member of society, engaged in a variety of NGO activities related to issues of nuclear power generation, waste, water storage, dams, tropical forests, fair trade, financial business and anti-war. “We will never admit nor realise it, but the causes of war stem from ourselves” said Yu Tanaka, an old friend of Peace Boat, who was a key player in establishing the onboard Global University programme three years ago. He managed to give seven informative lectures, spelling out clear, logical solutions to various world problems and it is debated as the whether he actually takes a breath during any of his sessions.
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Throughout the entirety of the voyage, the onboard SPACE (Share Peace Art Culture Energy) team have been busy practising and rehearsing for the various events and performances they have created at ports of call. Teruhiro Matsutani, the team choreographer, has been able to incorporate Peace Boat’s message with artistic performances put to music from around the world. “Whenever I watch SPACE perform they just get better and better and they make my smile become wider and wider”, commented one of the participants.
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photo by Mizumoto Shunya
Busy designing and sewing costumes for weeks were the team of onboard fashion designers, making way for the Peace Boat 47th voyage fashion show. The theme was four seasons, four elements, seven continents, 17 countries and a spectrum of emotions. Here Audrey Howatson, Ken Rhodes and Yuko Mineshima show happiness, nothingness and sadness.
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“Shabereba Kikeba” means in Japanese “a place to talk and listen” and is an ongoing series, where Peace Boat participants of all ages and backgrounds are able to come and express their opinions on various issues. Some topic titles are: “Why do we work?”, “War and Peace in Japan: What does it mean?” and “How were we raised and how should we raise our children?” All those who have taken part in these discussion forums expressed gratitude for being able to talk and also listen to other peoples’ ideas.
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Every day people are able to come to stretch and relax at the daily yoga class with Ito Tsuneko, who, at the age of 61, has been a student of Hatha yoga for 25 years. Her regular group of students admit that they really need this class in order to stay fit and healthy on the ship.
Isao Kaurada is a retired amateur artist who came onboard to explore different worldly perspectives. He has become very popular among all Peace Boat participants for his brilliant, self-taught portrait drawing skill. Isao, going by the nickname “Donbe,” used his skill to raise $300 USD for the Tsunami aid fund through drawing portraits for participants.
Two “photo-the-world” competitions have been organised by Peace Boat staff member Stacy Hughes and a team of onboard participants in order to display and enjoy each others photos from in the ports we have visited and onboard. With over 120 photos in the two exhibitions various scenes ranged from sunsets, sunrises, children, and famous monuments to wildlife, views of the ocean and portraits of people from around the world.