Relay Talk

Our family home was very close to Ritsurin Garden, a traditional Japanese garden designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. When I was a child, the garden housed a zoo, swimming pool and art museum, but now its atmosphere is slightly different. I felt a little sad to hear that the zoo and other facilities were removed, but 1,400 pine trees remain as beautiful as ever, while wasen boats in the ponds add a nice touch to the scenery; recently the garden was highly rated in France’s travel guide “Michelin Green Guide Japan”.

The main feature of Takamatsu City is that it faces toward the Seto Inland Sea. There is a subtle tidal scent in the streets of Takamatsu City. I used to work at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and was then transferred to different parts of the country, but Takamatsu came to my mind every time I felt the tidal scent anywhere.
The next feature is the shopping arcades. The arcades with a total length of 2.7 km still remain busy, be that weekdays or holidays. For Takamatsu City residents, window shopping in the arcades is a kind of leisure.

The third feature is numerous islands that can be reached by a ferry or boat in 20 minutes to 1 hour from the Takamatsu Port. There are 24 inhabited islands in Kagawa Prefecture. The islanders warmly welcome their visitors. This heritage of Kagawa Prefecture must be preserved into the future.
Let us work toward success of the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting in Takamatsu, Kagawa.