Love Letter from Brussels
Brussels Flower Carpet and the Training Ship of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) (No.40)Brussels Flower Carpet
At last, the eagerly awaited great event has started! The biennial Flower Carpet of Brussels celebrated this year its 20th edition. The event started on August 12 and, in celebration of the 150 Years of Friendship between Belgium and Japan, the carpet’s design was inspired by Japan, this year’s guest country, itself. The flower carpet stayed for 4 days until August 15. I thought it would take a long time to cover that gigantic square of the Grand Place in flower petals and create a flower carpet that measures 75m by 25m, but actually, thanks to the volunteers, including students of the Japanese School of Brussels, who had been working very hard from early morning on the opening day, the whole carpet was finished well before noon.
In any case, it was tremendously beautiful! In the evening, the song “Sakura” was played and a sound-and-light show was held on the Grand Place, followed by a firework finale. Even though the fireworks were more modest than the “Great Fireworks of Sumida-gawa” in Tokyo, the cheers from the crowd of spectators reached their peak. Without the efforts of many people, such as my predecessor Ambassador Sakaba, who paved the way for this event, Ms. Katz, General Manager of the Flower Carpet and of course Ms. Suzuki, the actual designer, this event would not have been possible. So, once again, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your help and support. Visit to the Training Ship Kashima of the JMSDFDuring the Flower Carpet of Brussels, on 15 August, the Japanese training squadron flagship “Kashima” called at the port of Antwerp. This was their 60th training voyage across the ocean, which makes it a memorable one. The training ship had left Yokosuka on 20 May and passed through various places of the USA, Panama, France, Great-Britain and Lithuania to arrive here in Antwerp. The whole scheduled voyage should take 169 days and having arrived in Antwerp on the 88th day, they were just halfway.
During this voyage, in addition to stopping in Lithuania for the first time, I heard that, in Great-Britain, they sailed up the River Thames and passed under the open Tower Bridge for the first time as well. Furthermore, the last time they stopped at Antwerp was 25 years ago. As luck would have it, one of the junior trainee officers on that occasion serves now as the captain of Kashima. It is a strange twist of fate.
Right after arriving, the junior officers visited the Flower Carpet and, at the same time, the JMSDF band on board the Kashima and the “Shouzui Taiko” (Good Omen Taiko) group, made up of volunteering officers, gave a splendid musical performance in front of the Flower Carpet, attracting a crowd at the Grand Place with great cheers and applause. In that evening, on board of Kashima, a reception was held for the Belgian, Japanese and other affiliates. There also, the junior officers were good hosts, promoting friendship and goodwill. It was an extremely proud and happy experience for me to welcome the SDF on their visit to abroad. Especially this time, seeing the brave posture of young people just starting out as junior officers, filled me with energy. For the 150 Years of Friendship, this was the icing on the cake, and they all have my sincere gratitude. I wish them all a safe journey ahead. Thanks to my lucky star!
This year is a very special year, marking the 150th anniversary of the friendship between Japan and Belgium. And what’s more, this week was a special week in which the 20th edition of the Brussels Flower Carpet with a Japanese design took place. And then, August 15, the last day of the Flower Carpet and the day of arrival of Kashima in Antwerp is also the commemoration day of the end of WW2, making it a very special day. I feel truly blessed and very honoured to be working as the Ambassador in Belgium at such a time. Also on an interesting note, the training ship that celebrated its 60th navigation across the ocean made its first ocean voyage in 1957. Incidentally, that is the year in which I was born. In addition to that, the sake that was served at the reception on board the Kashima was a brand from my home prefecture Hiroshima. Was it a twist of fate again? |
