Travelling Around Austria with a Local - #022 Tales from the Bear Village: Konnichiwa, Lower Austria!

A traditional dance at a school party in Ôhasama High School in 2004. Picture by someone from my class

Edelweiß - connecting people since the 1960s

Hi, Servus - and welcome to my blog Travelling Around Austria with a Local!

I'm Theodora from Austria. Together with friends from abroad, I'm exploring my home country - and I talk about its beauty and its curiosities. The twenty-second episode is - again - about a love story: Two cities in two different parts of the world share a connection, which started with an alpine flower and a couple of mountaineers. The blossoming friendship between those cities has changed the lives of generations of people - including my own. How so? Find out in this episode of Travelling Around Austria with a Local.

Edelweiss, edelweiss...

Endemic to Mt. Hayachine, the Hayachine usuyukiso (Leontopodium hayachinense) is not only a rare species according to the IUCN but also a plant that connects two towns: Hanamaki in Japan and Berndorf in Austria.

Hayachine-san, as Mount Hayachine is called in Japanese, is 1,917 m or 6,289 ft high and just a seven hours road trip north of Japan's capital, Tôkyô. At the foot of Hayachine-san, the city of Hanamaki offers its visitors a relaxing time in its hot spring resorts. About 9,000 km further west (or a just a few kilometres outside Vienna), quiet little Berndorf sleeps at the foot of the Guglzipf, a hill that is about a fifth the height of Mount Hayachine - but nonetheless a hot spot for hiking aficionados and lovers of Austrian cuisine alike.

It wasn't until the mid-1960s, however, that the two towns discovered their similarities and became sisters. Soon thereafter, the student exchange program started - and the mountaineers of Berndorf and Hanamaki discovered their shared interest in mountains and the edelweiss, which is found both on Mount Hayachine and in the Austrian Alps.

Going to Japan as a teenager

"The music school is organising for a group of young musicians to go to Japan and make some music - are you in?" I looked at my saxophone teacher for a second to see if he was serious then I said yes instantly. (Fortunately my parents weren't against it, either when I asked them later that evening.) I was going to go to Japan without my family.

There...

It's common for parents in Berndorf to agree to such a thing: pupils from Austria go to Hanamaki every year. They will visit the schools, landmarks such as the Berndorf museum, and they will get to know the culture and traditions of the region. The local government covers most of the costs for the flight so that not only the rich kids can go. So here I was, just a few weeks later, staying with a Japanese family that spoke only a few phrases of English. And trust me: They were still able to do all the necessary parenting. (Such as forcing me to phone my Austrian family every evening. I loved them anyway!) They were wonderful people - kind and funny - and made me a part of their family. I'm still friends with them on Facebook so we can keep in touch after all these years.

...and back again

My second visit was the visit that is commonplace for Berndorf's grammar school pupils. I had put little hope into my application to go a second time - yet, I was lucky enough to be sent to Japan again. Another wonderful week brought me back to friends I'd already had and a new host family that I am still closely connected to although we are far apart and don't get to talk that much.

Surprise visit by my wonderful second host mum. 時子さんがが恋しい。Picture taken by one of my friends.

Hanamaki and I post-2004

These days, I try to help keeping the friendship between the two cities alive: Japanese teachers have stayed at my place quite a few times. It was always fun to say the least. In fact, I would say the Japanese visitors are the best part of autumn in Berndorf - by far. The many stories I still have fond memories of changed my life forever. And so did my host families and my Japanese friends - and I know I'm not the only one which such a history in my town. It's funny what a little flower can do, isn't it?

花巻は大好きえす！

皆さん、
ホームステーはとても重要です。友誼をどうもありがとうございました。花巻でたくさんの素晴らしい人々がいます。きれいな町です。あなたがするすべてのことに感謝します。下手な日本語ですみません。もっと勉強します。

Tips from a local

• Visit Hanamaki - it's beautiful and all the people I met there are truly amazing people!
• If you live in Berndorf: Be a host family. It's a wonderful experience. And - in case I haven't said it yet - visit Hanamaki!

Tales from the Bear Village

• Episode 1: Study like an Egyptian
• Episode 2: Berndorf - a love story
• Episode 3: All Berndorf's a stage
• Episode 4: The fundraiser with the bear
• Episode 5: Analogue photography isn't dead
• Episode 6: Konnichiwa, Lower Austria!
• Episode 7: Anton vs. Napoleon: a story about resistance