PAGE 18 • SUMMER 2005 THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SAILING ASSOCIATION
ASA FEATURED FACILITY • YO YO YACHT SCHOOL - OSAKA, JAPAN
By William Payne
www.aokiyacht.com. He was invited to open the yacht
N
otice the cover of your ASA Log Book. The newer
harbor here about seven years ago by the president of
ones include “International” in the title. This
the fisherman’s union. Now, the Aoki Enterprises include
issue’s featured training facility is the Yo Yo Yacht
the Aoki Yacht Brokerage, the sailor’s chandlery, the
School in Tajiri Harbor, Japan. To get there from ASA
maintenance yard, Yo Yo Yacht School and Yo Yo Charter
headquarters in Marina Del Rey, Calif., will take you about
Company. Aoki sensei (teacher) became affiliated with
20 hours. Grab a cab for a short ride to Los Angeles
and certified by the American Sailing Association last
International and hop aboard the plane to Osaka. (The
year after researching similar organizations around the
flight alone will be about 14 hours.) As you drop toward
world. His research narrowed to two organizations, the
Kansai International Airport you will see a long bridge
Royal Yacht Association of England and ASA. In his
connecting the man-made island built for the airport to the
estimation, the ASA standards and curriculum were
mainland. Follow that bridge to the mainland and look for
superior.
the other bridge at a right angle to it on the starboard side.
Just under that bridge is Tajiri fishing and sailing port.
All the sailing harbors around Osaka Wan Bay have
dinghy sailing schools nearby to teach sailing
Tajiri is an unusual port. It is small, but it provides
fundamentals. However, Yoh sensei couldn’t find a
space for both a fishing fleet and a yacht harbor.
place in Japan teaching keelboat sailing. Also, he could
Usually, you will find either one or the other.
find nowhere in Japan where one could charter a
Fishermen traditionally avoid yachts. But here,
keelboat. For the past ten years the Japanese economy
fishermen and sailors mix freely and pleasantly at
Tajiri. Indeed, on a Sunday morning you will find a
continued on page 22
wonderful fishermen’s and farmers’ open market where
you can buy eels and octopus here and strawberries
and cabbage there.
NAME THAT SHIP!!
The yacht portion of the harbor offers sailors many
advantages. Sailors are about 20 nautical miles southwest
of Osaka proper. Leaving the harbor, you are well east of
the major shipping traffic lanes that dissect Osaka Bay. If
you are on a day sail, you are two hours from a fine lunch
in the harbor at Tannowa along the coast to the
southwest. Four hours across the bay is Suntopia, a
picturesque port for an overnight, and six hours through
the Tomogashima strait to the southwest will take you to
Wakayama where you can enjoy the wonderful hot spas.
What type of tallship is this?
The harbormaster for the yachts is Yoh Aoki, one of
Answer on the ASA website at
Japan’s foremost sailors. A record of his three-year
www.asa.com
circumnavigation can be found on his web site,
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