Relay Talk

NAKAHASHI Emiko (Approved Specified Nonprofit Corporation WAHAHA-NET Chairman)

Instill Pride in Younger Generations with the Hometown Wonders of Kagawa

Uneven, delightful rice-ball shaped mountains and islands in the tranquil sea.
I love the scenery in my very heartwarming hometown of Kagawa.

Now that I think of it, IKEHARA Shouji, the well-known illustrator of animated TV series “Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi (Once upon a time in Japan),” is actually from Takamatsu City in Kagawa Prefecture, so Kagawa’s landscape may in fact be the prototype for the scenery in “Japan’s hometowns.”

In front of a donation board.
The spirit of giving is rooted in Kagawa
due to its pilgrimage culture.
The Sanuki Toy Museum was built
with the support of a great number of donations.

I wanted to convey to the children born and raised in Kagawa that the scenery, traditions, history and warmth of the people who live here are very special, not ordinary things. So, in the spring of 2022, the “Sanuki Toy Museum” was built in the city of Takamatsu to bring together the amazing people and things from Kagawa.

Kagawa, the Lion dance kingdom:
Costume and lion head made of
Sanuki Norizome dyed cloth

Individual master craftsmen are behind Kagawa’s rich culture of craftsmanship. There are also many adults who know just how appealing Kagawa’s craftsmanship is and want to pass it on to the future and younger generations, and who speak animatedly about Kagawa’s allure and try to communicate this with their whole bodies. You can see them here and there interacting naturally with children as they go about their daily lives. I am proud to say that the most attractive region in Japan is right here in Kagawa!

Seto islands and Takotsuboru on Ogijima Island

The Sanuki Toy Museum, which we run, has been designed for everyone age 0 to 100 to enjoy. Many traditional craftsmen and artists from Kagawa were involved in turning traditional crafts into playground equipment, which were made from the area’s natural amenities, such as Kagawa cypress, cedar, Aji and sanukite stones, and simulated Sanuki Fuji, reservoirs and the landscape of Kagawa.

I love Kagawa so much that I might have gone a bit overboard (laughs).

Kagawa cypress. The mountains are rich, not just sea Kagawa cypress.
The mountains are rich, not just sea

With the natural beauty of the sea and mountains and the kind people who look after the well-being of children, there is little doubt that the future of Kagawa is opening up even wider than ever.

Seto Shirube (Red Lighthouse)
guiding ships to Takamatsu

Children will grow up saying how glad they were to be born in Kagawa!

And visitors to Kagawa will say out loud how glad they were to have had the chance to come to Kagawa!

Relay Talk

NAKAHASHI Emiko (Approved Specified Nonprofit Corporation WAHAHA-NET Chairman)

Instill Pride in Younger Generations with the Hometown Wonders of Kagawa

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