This afternoon, I was watching NHK World on KHET-TV, Honolulu's local PBS channel and they had a special on Kagoshima. Then in an completely unrelated random event, I receive this email from the Navy's Public Affairs Office. The story is so cool I had to post it. More than 40 Sailors and Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) personnel teamed up with 16 students and faculty of Ke Kula Ni`ihau O Kekaha School to pick up trash on Sept. 15 on this west Kauai beach near the PMRF. The beach cleanup effort was in observance of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup Day. Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 2nd Class Devon Brandenburg places garbage into the hands of two students from Ke Kula Ni`ihau O Kekaha School. Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Jon Moore removes a message from a bottle sent from Kagoshima, Japan. Here is a photo of the actual message in a bottle from the 6 grade class sent 5 years ago. This washed up more than 4000 miles from Kagoshima on a west side Kauai beach near the Pacific Missile Range Facility and found during the beach cleanup. Saki Arikawa writes in the letter:

Could you please tell me where you receive the bottle and what country you are from. Please tell me a little about your country.

The address is contained in the letter. Here is Saki Arikawa's class photo. I am curious where all these students are currently. They're probably juniors or seniors in high school, maybe some quit and are working. It would be interesting to find out at a minimum what is Saki Arikawa now doing? Mahalo to U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jay C. Pugh for photos.