When Susan Meiki, a resident of Koda-Cho, Japan who is originally from Farmingdale, decided to take a group of boys from the area to Long Island for baseball camp, she knew it would be quite an undertaking.

But when she arrived with them earlier this month, the boys' reaction was her greatest reward. "The only reaction is their smiles, and I couldn't ask for more," she said last week while spending time with relatives in Farmingdale.

The group of visitors from Japan consisted of Meiki, her husband Kazuyaski and their youngest son, 15 boys between the ages of 8 and 12 from the Oda Little League (two of whom are the Meiki's sons) and their coach. They landed at Kennedy Airport on July 17, and spent 12 days in New York. The first and last few days of the visit, during which the boys stayed with host families in Farmingdale (Meiki's friends and relatives), were packed with events. The days in between were spent at Rich Martin's All Star Baseball Camp at C.W. Post, beside 100 American children.

At the camp, the boys were given food, lodging and a full schedule of baseball lessons from former college and professional players. The Japanese children also made friends with their American peers, and adjusted to a new-found culture, according to Mrs. Meiki. She noted that although the boys did not have the same native language, they shared the universal language of baseball. "The kids can talk baseball, and find that they have that in common," she said.

When not at the camp, the group could usually be found making new friends. For example, on the Saturday after they arrived, they met with the deputy mayor of Farmingdale Village, Dr. Benjamin Giminaro. After that, they met representatives of Nippon Electric Company (NEC) America, one of the largest Japanese electronics companies in America. To help defray the cost of the trip to America, the vice-president of the company presented the boys with a $500 donation from the company's employees.

The boys also spent quite a bit of time at Shea Stadium (they went to two Mets games and met player Yoshii Masato, who is from Japan) and toured New York City. One evening, they had dinner at Jones Beach, and then dipped their feet in the ocean. They also did some shopping and ate at Gino's pizzeria in Farmingdale.

To wrap up the visit to America, the boys played a "Friendship Game" at Allen Park against Farmingdale Baseball's Broncos on Saturday, July 25. At the event, Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto presented a citation to the mayor of Koda-Cho to recognize the significance of the meeting.

Meiki moved to Japan from Farmingdale 10 years ago. Her town, Koda-Cho is a small rural community 50 miles northeast of Hiroshima, with a population of about 6,000. The community's elementary school has an enrollment of only 85 children. "It was the first time some of these kids were on an airplane - the first time they've been out of Japan. So it's a real exciting thing for the boys and their families," she said.

The mother of three first came up with the idea of bringing the boys to America when she was looking for a baseball camp for her oldest sons, Asuka and Kazumi, who are ages 12 and 9 respectively. Because she could not find one near Koda-Cho, she decided to take them to one on Long Island, and suggested bringing their Little League teammates with them. After receiving consent from the children's parents, many of whom she had known for several years, Meiki made a go of the project. To help defray costs, the group held fund raisers and received donations from both the local government of Koda-Cho and government of Hiroshima. Meiki also gave the children lessons in English and American traditions. With the help of relatives in Farmingdale, she also arranged travel and lodging.

All the planning, combined with a little help from some friends, made for a memorable experience. "This is incredibly exciting," Meiki said. "Everybody has been absolutely super here in Farmingdale - and everywhere else - to help these boys."