P-mates

	Dezomeshiki (New Year's Fire Brigade Review)

The dezomeshiki is a ritual event performed by firefighters in Japan at the beginning of each year. Generally translated as "New Year's Fire Brigade Review," this festive occasion is held in various locations around the country for two main reasons: (1) To raise the morale of the members of the local fire departments and renew the determination to carry out their duties; and (2) broadly disclose the overall picture of the firefighting profession to the general public, deepening their understanding of the work and enhancing the safety awareness of the community.
The origins of the dezomeshiki may be traced back almost three hundred and forty years ago to 1659. At that time, the city of Edo (old Tokyo) remained in scorched desolation from a huge fire that broke out two years earlier in 1657. The residents of the capital continued to wage a bitter and desperate struggle to rebuild from that tremendous disaster.
Against that dire backdrop, a senior councilor of the feudal government of that era developed the idea of leading all four Edo fire brigades in a demonstration that would raise the deflated spirits of Edoites. This was reportedly carried out on January 4, 1659, and succeeded in instilling great hope and confidence in the hearts of the local people.
With this as the start, the practice of showcasing the abilities and equipment of firefighters steadily spread around the nation, and has been carried on as a traditional New Year's custom to this day.
Fuji City is one community where the local government sponsors a gala dezomeshiki every year, with the Polyplastics Fuji Plant proud to be an active participant in this crowd-pleasing event.
The dezomeshiki generally consists of demonstrations of lifesaving rescue work and firefighting activities, while this year's event in Fuji also featured rescue training using ladder trucks and drills that involved spraying of water from in-flight helicopters to show off those sides of firefighting operations as well. These and other scenes definitely bolstered the audience's confidence about the devotion and dependability of the Fuji City Fire Brigade.
The final part of the Fuji dezomeshiki was a parade of local firefighters and the public and private fire trucks down the road in front of city hall, with all vehicles in the procession spraying their hoses all at once to bring this year's celebration to a grand conclusion.
The fire truck stationed at the Fuji Plant also took part in the parade, although we can only hope and pray that there will never be a need for that vehicle to become involved in fighting an actual fire at the plant itself.

	Hayakawa R soccer club

Shizuoka Prefecture is one of Japan's leading regions for soccer, with many members of the Japanese national team born and raised in this part of the country.
The sport is also popular in Fuji City, location of the Polyplastics Fuji Plant, where normal citizens can be seen taking part in soccer and futsal games daily at locations all around town.

On some of the fields, you will see people of all age - men and women, boys and girls - chasing after the ball as they enjoy the sport.
This community has fostered an environment where coworkers, friends and acquaintances living in the same region can get together for a friendly game of football, most anytime and anyplace.
In Fuji City, furthermore, there is also a certain team that has risen to local fame over the past few years. That squad was formed with the main focus on Polyplastics employees, and goes by the name of "Hayakawa R."

In fact, the side has developed into a major soccer power in Fuji, and normally finishes high in the local tournaments. In 2006, for example, its record included two championships, one runner-up and one third-place finish.
In the beginning, though, it was tough to even assemble enough members to field a full team, with half the players having no previous experience with playing organized soccer. The team was small, and also lacked decent uniforms. In time, however, overseas trainees, local citizens and others joined up, prompting the organizers to have smart-looking uniforms designed and made in order to compete in greater style. Slowly but surely, the team's record improved as well.
Clearly, the bonds established and cultivated with those around us have been a major factor in developing the Hayakawa R soccer club into a force to be reckoned with.
In closing, we have a message for any readers of P-MATES scheduled to undergo training at the Fuji Plant from here on: If you are interested in soccer, Hayakawa R is just the team for you! We are now in our ninth year of competition, and the current Fuji City champions. Please join us, and work to share the next piece of the glory!