The annual Autumn bus tour was organized by the Cultural Lectures for Foreigners and the Cross-Cultural Activities Department. (No.23-13)
Date & Time : Thursday, October 19, 2023 8:15 ~ 16:00
Venue : Abiko Clean Center & Tsukuba Ham Factory
Participants : 16 people (excluding 3 absentees on the day)
The bus tour took place in the midst of October when autumn finally arrived after long lingering summer days.
The bus arrived at the Clean Center just after Mr. Kaku, the organizer, in charge of the Cultural- Lectures , made a short welcome speech. The Clean Center is the newest facility which started full operation in April this year being paid attention to safety, environment, sustainable development goals (SDGs) etc.
In the conference room, the tour members listened to the explanation about the outline of the facility by a staff member of the facility and learned the process of waste incineration. Then they were guided to each stage of incineration such as the garbage disposal, pit, incinerator, waste heat utilization, the steam turbine, while listening to the explanation by the staff member and the person in charge of incineration. The clean center staff members also added supplementary explanations and answered questions from the tour members.
The visit was very meaningful, because the tour members could learn about the necessity of waste sorting, of 24-hour operation, the reason of size restrictions in disposing garbage, power generation and electricity sales utilizing residual heat, which we haven’t minded in our daily life at all.
After leaving the Clean Center and heading to the next destination, the “Tsukuba Ham Factory”, the tour members introduced themselves on the bus.
The Tsukuba Ham Factory produces a handmade ham using Tsukuba pork and also produces rich yogurt drinks. They sell their products at the adjacent direct sales shop called "Tsukuba Jin-ya."
Then the tour members went to the "Penny Lane" restaurant which was named from a Beatles song and photographs of the Beatles are on the wall. The meals come with freshly baked bread served without limited refills. As several types of cakes for dessert were served and everyone enjoyed different tastes. The restaurant is located within the premises of the Tsukuba Aeon Mall, and the members took a stroll around the mall after the meal.
The group returned home via the local agricultural sales shop, “Pocket Farm Doki Doki Tsukuba, Ushiku Branch”. As the tour group visited rather nearby places this time, they could arrive in Abiko one hour earlier than usual, before dusk.
(Translated by Ms. KOYAMA Hitomi)
