Relay Talk

I was born in 1965 and grew up in Utazu, the smallest town in Kagawa Prefecture, the smallest prefecture in Japan. However, I spent most of my time as a child at my mother’s family home, located just a few minutes away by foot from the prefectural office, and so I have many fond memories of Takamatsu.

One of the most nostalgic places for me where still exists as a “power spot (place where I can get energy)” is the East Building, which had once functioned as the Main Building of the Kagawa Prefectural Government Office. I looked forward to going out for a stroll with my grandmother in the evenings to the prefectural office, where we would wait in the lobby for my grandfather, who was employed there, to finish work.
In later years, I learned that the building had been designed by globally renowned architect Kenzo Tange, and that the mural in the lobby’s gallery, “Wakeiseijaku - Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility,” had been designed by master painter Genichiro Inokuma, who had worked in Paris and New York. As a child, I was entirely unaware of this, and spent my younger years, waiting quietly for my grandfather as I sat on my favorite round, cute stool, gazing at the colorful mural.

Incidentally, the French-Japanese of Kagawa Society, which I belong to, is located in the Takamatsu Marugamemachi shopping arcade which marks its 35th anniversary of friendship and partnership with Boulevard des Capucines in Paris this year. We are in our 40th year of activities to promote cultural exchange between Japan and France, and have carried out a variety of activities over the years, including the annual Paris Festival, a cultural course on “Understanding France,” French language classes, and others. This year, the society is planning to organize a forum in support of the summit called “Connecting France and Shikoku: Focus on New Challenges,” in collaboration with French-Japanese associations in Shikoku’s four prefectures to make the G7 feel more accessible.

The host city of Takamatsu has continued exchanges with its sister cities of Tours in France and St. Petersburg in the U.S. over many years. Tamamo Park, Historic Site of Takamatsu Castle has also signed an agreement to cooperate with Château de Villandry, one of the ancient châteaus in Loire, France, so that they can learn from one another’s knowledge and skills in garden management and other areas, rekindling friendships to develop new ideas by learning from the past. Our society also offers backup assistance for events organized by the city and provides support as a leader in international exchange.

The Kagawa Kejinkai Southern California Chapter in the U.S., founded in Los Angeles in 1916, is now in its 107th year of existence. People with connections to Kagawa gather occasionally to discuss their thoughts and feelings about their hometown and look forward to its development.
Toyo Miyatake, a successful photographer who documented the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics in photos, was also a member of the chapter. He is also known for his photographic records of the Japanese-American internment camps during the Pacific War. He left his hometown of Zentsuji City for the U.S. 114 years ago when he was only in junior high.
Los Angeles will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the third time in 2028. I believe that those old photos of the Olympic athletes that Toyo Miyatake left behind will be thrust once again into the spotlight, and that his robust way of living through turbulent times will be a source of hope and inspiration for all of us in this day and age.

A Japanese garden on the outskirts of Los Angeles owned by the Huntington Foundation established a sister garden partnership with Ritsurin Garden in 2015. More exchanges are anticipated in the future, such as an exchange of bonsai trees grown by each side and visits by people involved with each garden.
Construction has also been completed on a 300-year-old samurai residence in Marugame, purchased by the foundation so that it could be relocated and rebuilt in the Japanese garden, and will be open to the public sometime this year. As the COVID-19 pandemic shifts into new stages in different areas around the world, people-to-people exchanges are becoming more active, such as the workshop held the other day where participants could experience making Kagawa’s traditional wasanbon sugar using wooden confection molds.

It is wonderful to see Kagawa Prefecture’s modest, yet shining allure spreading and growing around the world in so many different forms through people, infrastructure and activities. This will play a key role in Kagawa’s development in the future.
International exchange without leaving Kagawa. Why not use the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers’ Meeting in Takamatsu, Kagawa as an opportunity for Kagawa Prefecture to grow in leaps and bounds on the world stage, as we work together to support its success and start with what we can do?