Tokyo, on June 6th of this year, H.E. Teodolinda Rosa Rodrigues Coelho, Ambassador of the Republic of Angola to Japan, participated in a study visit to Yame City, the second largest city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū Prefecture, within the scope of a program organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and aimed at the Diplomatic Corps accredited in this country.
The group of diplomats was received by the Mayor of Yame City, Mr. Tsuneyuki Mitamura, who also hosted a welcome dinner for the group.
This visit was organized with the aim of presenting the economic and tourist potential of the region and deepening better understanding of the history and culture of the region, that is endowed with a moderate climate and the benefits of several rivers, including the Yabe and Hoshino rivers, as well as natural forests, wich allows best practice of agriculture, such as producing rice, tea and a variety of fruits. The tea from this region has been cultivated for over 600 years and is considered one of the best variety in Japan.
The participants of the tour had the opportunity to learn about the history of this important city, which was established around a significant castle built in the region and developed through commerce, industry, and art, such as the Yame paper. The diplomats had the opportunity to learn about the region’s hospitality based on nature, history, culture (local habits and customs), food and drink.
The diplomats’ activity program reached its hight with a visit to the Village of Hoshino, famous for producing premium gyokuro (the highest grade of Japanese tea), the Hoshino Tea Museum, the Central Tea Plantation of Yame (located in the mountainous area and forming a true “green carpet of tea”), the Yame Arts Center which showcases materials of traditional Japanese paper art, as well as strolling through the streets of Yame Fukushima, composed of traditional-style buildings, and the Kitaka and Yokomachimachiya-Koryukan distilleries, which produce highly appreciated local sake and liqueurs.
This program was greatly applauded by H.E. Ambassador and the diplomats who participated in the visit, and saw this as an opportunity to learn about the traditional roots of the people of the southern region of Japan, and expressed their pleasure of what they witnessed at having participated in it.
*Unofficial translation
