By Lisa Schrag
We got a glimpse of the future when our good friend Matsumoto Mamoru recently had us as guests in his home near Osaka, Japan. His family robot, Pepper, entertained us with conversation and song. Then Pepper politely looked on while Matsumoto and Roger played a few games of go.
Matsumoto — who attends the U.S. Go Congress most years — also took Roger to play at the Kansai office of the Nihon Ki-in one afternoon. There were 25-30 people there that day, and Roger met some very nice local players.
While in Tokyo, we had the pleasure of a nice visit and dinner with go teacher Kazunari Furuyama, author of the E-Journal “Lessons with Kaz” series.
Thanks to the game of go, we have made some wonderful friends in the beautiful country of Japan. This was our third trip, and we visited several small towns, did a four-day pilgrimage walk, and learned about the rich history of Japan. But most of all, we enjoyed spending time with our Japanese friends. And Roger was lucky to get in some go games along the way!
Roger Schrag is a co-founder and past president of Bay Area Go Players Association. Photos by Lisa Schrag.
