Yoshiko attends 150th anniversary event in Austria

Yoshiko Akishino who was officially visiting Austria attended an event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Austria in Vienna on the 17th and 18th. At the commemoration reception on the 17th, in front of the Austrian Parliamentarians, he expressed his respect for promoting exchanges between the two countries and expressed his wish to continue friendship.

Yoshiko mentions art exchanges such as “Many Japanese who have studied music for many years have studied in Austria”. This time, I visited the Vienna Boys Choir, the University of Vienna, the Japanese school, etc. and said, “I was really happy to talk to people who care about the bonds between Japan and Austria.”

On the 18th, I visited Schönbrunn Palace, a World Heritage Site, and went around the palace with a guide. I attended the renovation ceremony of the Japanese garden in the corner of the gardens on the premises.

This garden was built more than 100 years ago, but it was not maintained for a long time. In 1997, an expert survey revealed that it was a Japanese garden, and it was revived by a large-scale restoration. This time, Takegaki and others were renovated after the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The expenses were covered by a donation from a local rich man who has a connection with Japan, in addition to the budget for the “Japanese Garden Restoration Project Overseas” by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Yoshiko is the first official overseas visit this time. After staying in Austria until the 19th, head to Hungary, another visiting country. (Vienna = Yusuke Yoshitake)