On Thursday, December 1st, we were invited to the NZ&JP diplomatic 70th anniversary reception and I went to the New Zealand Embassy as a representative of KICS.
(New Zealand Embassy)
On that day, I participated with the mayor of Kitaibaraki City.
When the gate was opened and we entered the premises, we could see a building with a carved entrance like a Marae (sacred meeting place).
After entering and completing the reception, put on your name tag, and head to the reception space. Then, the letter "70" which was designed the leaves of New Zealand fern plants and the Japanese flag jumped in front of me.
Very nice design, isn't it? While I was impressed this design, the boy waiter came to me for serving drinks.
There were several kinds of drinks, including New Zealand wine, and I felt nervous because I had never been to the embassy for the first time and had never been to a reception.
After having a drink in one hand and greeting each other for a while, the ambassador's welcome speech began with the voice of "Haere mai". I was prepared to catch his English, but he gave a speech in Japanese! After listening to the speeches and toasts, the reception started.
When I suddenly turned my eyes to the outside courtyard after the start...
What a wonderful space is spreading, isn't it? A Maori carving monument carved by a craftsman from New Zealand who came to Japan with the wood of the material. And there is a Japanese lantern and a pond at the end of the wonderful lantern! Yes, it was a Japanese garden! Exchanges between New Zealand and Japan were taking place in the garden as well, and combined with the lighting at night, it was a fantastic space.
(The stone in front of the monument is said to have been brought from a sacred river in New Zealand.)
(The Japanese lantern is visible in the center of the photo.)
(The reflection of the lanterns on the water was very nice. You can also see the bridge in the background.)
The kapa haka (traditional Maori performing) was about to begin, and when I returned to the room, I was greeted by a brave male voice, a beautiful yet powerful female voice, and a familiar and my favorite melody! All of a sudden, my mind was full of exchanges with everyone in Wairoa. The feeling of wanting to restart the business that has been stopped due to the covid- disaster has become even stronger.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the embassy for giving me such a very valuable experience, to the association who kindly sent me off, Mr. Kono from Mino- Hut City Friendship Club, who helped me with online exchanges before, and the Japanese participants who share the same desire to interact with New Zealand as we do.
In the very end, I just can't forget the taste of the lamb chops I ate this time. I heard that the lamb meat here is actually marinated in a certain Japanese seasoning, and I didn't know that New Zealand and Japan exchanged deliciously here.