ご主人は、スミソニアン12年を含め、奥様はライトに関する著作が2冊ある、ともに50年以上の学芸員をおくられた80歳前後のご夫婦。全世界の博物館のフリーパスであるICOMカード保持者。 私は、明治神宮・根津美術館・庭園美術館・日比谷帝国ホテルをご案内。 その後、明治村に行かれて、オリジナルの一部をご覧になった。 この後、私が説明しておいた芦屋の旧山邑邸（現ヨドコウ迎賓館：今年のライト建築の在米8件が世界遺産に登録され、ここは来年追加登録予定）にも行かれる予定。 I’ve wanted to come to Meiji Mura since I learned the lobby of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel in Tokyo  had been saved from  destruction & moved to Meij Mura. (Although Wright’s hotel survived the 1923 earthquake it was torn down in 1964 & replaced by an ordinary tower hotel that dares to call itself the Imperial). The remaining lobby is a must see! 　A triumph for FLW that the photos don’t convey. It’s light & airy, a real surprise since it resembles a dark weird space in b-w photos most people published. Luckily we saw it in sunlight & later when they turned on the lights. It probably originated the open atrium. As presented the lobby is 3 floors high with balconies running around it used as tea rooms and or bars from what I can see. (He used the open atrium earlier for Buffalo’s Larkin building & assistants delivered the mail on roller skates! ) The cast bricks were designed to interlock & each have teeth. Wright insisted on the reflecting pool in front, and although the developers didn’t want to pony up they eventually did & the pool enabled firefighters to extinguish the fire that accompanied the 1923 earthquake using that water! Wright he didn’t allow the floors to touch the walls so the structure could move instead of collapsing in earthquake prone Tokyo. Wright had 100s of workers to carve the soft tufa-like stone. As you can see from the photos the Imperial was gorgeous. He used gold arrow mosaics to catch the light & flicker which they do. The decoratively carved tufa looks bizarre in all the photos but it’s gorgeous! An early theater for Kabuki shows the audience sat on cushions but the stage revolved in 1907  & projected  into the audience as it still does in Tokyo’s Kabuki theater. The other buildings at Meiji Mura show how architectural ideas crossed the oceans long before the internet. Meiji Mura is worth a full day & with superb bus service is easy to get to from Nagoya or Inumaya.

Thank you very much for this and the great day yesterday. Safe Journey ! Olivier & Nina

Thank you so much Ted for all' there information,  you're really so kind and helpfull. Warm regards  Valerie ※このグループもオフラインしか話せないことがありました。

Thank you so much for all of your assistance.  You were wonderful in helping us navigate your beautiful city.  We could not have done it without you. The origami you presented was very special as was the "anime map".  Thank you so much for the pictures. Thank you Renee + Jerry ※この方々もかなり足の不自由な方々でしたが、都内はバリアフリーが進んでおり、充分な対応ができた。また、秋葉原で、お孫さんにねだられていた「フィギュア」を無事ゲット！

What a long, but interesting day we had yesterday!  Your careful planning helped us to get around the crowds as much as possible. We really enjoyed the lovely, quiet temple that you took us to. Loved seeing the giant Buddha and our ice cream pancakes. I couldn’t believe the crowds everywhere! You are an excellent guide and a very kind person Ted, and we appreciate the care you took with us yesterday.  Thank you very much for the excellent photos!  Best regards, Judy and Dave ※足の不自由な高齢夫婦でした。鎌倉の混雑は、何とかやり切れたとの思いです。 インフラの整った都内は難しくありませんが、鎌倉寺社と江ノ電は鬼門です。

It was lovely to have met you n gone around with you.. I truly cherish all my memories of Japan n all the time spent together. Thank you for all your help. The origami bird which you made for us is with me. I have shown it to my children n grandchild. It keeps reminding me of you. Thanks again Rashmi ※この方とはオフラインでしか話せない内容の「いろいろ」ありました。 この頃から、私の20種類ほどあるレパートリーから1－2個の折り紙を差し上げています。

We are back to France after two fabulous weeks in Japan. We managed very well in Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miajyma and Osaka. We wish we would have stayed longer. Many thanks for the photos ! we will use them for our album. We very much appreciated your assistance and explanation during our Kamakura visit. We hope we have not been too much demanding as it was a long day and not too rude as we were asking so many questions about Japan and the way of life. Any way thank you for your involvement as a guide volunteer, it does not exist in France and it would be a good idea to launch such a concept. ※1日しか付き合えなかったので、この先の旅程に関して、できるだけの資料を提供した。 返信0

Ann & I are now safely home in New Zealand after our wonderful trip to Japan & China. Thank you once again for guiding us. Best Wishes Liz& Ann

Ohayo gozaimas Ted. Just a note from Judy and I to say how much we enjoyed your company on our recent trip to Japan. Thank you for your time and excellent guide work. Best wishes and Merry Christmas. Dennis and Judy.