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□■━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ■□ Multilingual Electronic Newsletter –

Southern Wind Tidings (Vol. 151)

□■━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ■□ Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) Column A Calming, Healing Experience Kim Hyojin (South Korea)

The A-Z of Kagoshima’s International Relations Courtesy Visit from Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary from the Republic of San Marino

Kagoshima Seasonal Tourism Information Koshikijima Islands, Koshiki Ohashi Bridge

Kagoshima Specialty Products “Keep for a Century” Satsuma Tea Canister

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○Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) Column ○

● A Calming, Healing Experience ●

Kim Hyojin (South Korea)

Hello everyone.

In the blink of an eye it is already October, and there are just two months left in the year. This year, there might be a lot of people who felt that time passed quickly compared to other years. New experiences such as Covid-19, heavy rains and natural disasters have worn down our mental and physical strength. Exactly at such times, we should smile and overcome this as “All Kagoshima”!

The other day, we went for a drive tour for the first time in a while. Drive tours are organised regularly by my workplace, the prefectural government’s PR & Tourism Strategy department. Through these tours, we build friendships while also visiting the tourist attractions in the prefecture. This year, heeding the requests to refrain from going out in light of Covid-19, the tours were postponed many times. After much careful consideration, they have finally resumed.

This time, the tour centred on Shibushi City, and I would like to talk about the thing which left the greatest impression on me.

After visiting Yamamiya Shrine, which had a huge camphor tree, and the city-designated cultural heritage site Yamanaka Residence, we went to Daiji-ji Temple to experience Zen meditation.

Daiji-ji Temple was built in the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573), and temporarily abandoned due to haibutsu kishaku (lit: "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni", a movement to expel Buddhism from Japan) in the year Meiji 2 (1869). However, it was rebuilt on the site of the former Daiji-ji Temple cemetery and remains until today.

Shibushi Kurobuta Zanmai Ricebowl

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One can experience Zen meditation at this temple. As a newcomer to Zen meditation, Daiji-ji Temple was what I was looking forward to the most. We followed the guidance of the head priest and meditated for about 15 minutes. The way to do it is as follows.

 First, sit cross-legged, putting your right foot on your left thigh, and then your left foot on your right thigh. (those that cannot do this can sit cross-legged or in seiza, the traditional Japanese way)  Next, place your left hand on top of your right hand near your belly, forming an oval shape.  And then, straighten your back and breathe through your nose.

We followed the head priest’s count of “O-ne, T-wo…” as we aligned our breathing. All sorts of stray thoughts filled my head and I was not able to concentrate. Even so, I did my very best not to receive a beating from the head priest, and sometimes the mosquitoes drew near… Even so, I corrected my posture and focused on my breathing once again. As I did so, I could clearly feel the wind in the mountains and hear the crowing of roosters.

I was most moved by the head priest’s words “If you can realise just one new thing, it would be enough.” It is not just receiving instruction, but coming up with your own answers. Hmm. Perhaps I already have my answers, but I just don’t work towards them…

This had been a calming, healing experience. I would like to continue living with these teachings in my heart!

In the information of Daiji-ji Temple, the following is written. “Treasures are not to be sought faraway, but within ourselves.” Kuninomatsubara (Quasi National Park) View from a 17m high wooden observation tower-cum- playground

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○The A-Z of Kagoshima’s International Relations ○

● Courtesy Visit from Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary from the

Republic of San Marino●

Gr. Cr. Prof. Manlio Cadelo, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of the Republic of San Marino in Japan, paid me a courtesy visit.

Ambassador Manlio offered his congratulations for my inauguration as Governor, and also made a donation to improve the prefectural administration. We spoke about Ms. FUJIYAMA Kuniko, who was also in attendance. She is the first Japanese woman to be conferred the Order of Saint Agatha by the Republic of San Marino. We also spoke about “Bernado the Japanese”, who travelled with Saint Francis Xavier from Kagoshima to Europe in the 16th century.

Through our conversation, I was struck by Ambassador Manlio’s spirit of enquiry and erudition, and had a renewed appreciation of Kagoshima’s charms.

I am also very happy that fellow Kagoshima-born Special Advisor Fujiyama was conferred the award, and I hope to continue working with these two people, who bridge the Republic of San Marino and Japan, as well as Kagoshima Prefecture.

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○ Kagoshima Seasonal Tourism Information ○

●Koshikijima Islands, Koshiki Ohashi Bridge ●

Koshiki Ohashi Bridge is a 1533-metre long bridge that connects Naka-Koshiki island and Shimo-Koshiki island of the Koshikijima islands, which are west of mainland Kagoshima. Construction work began in 2011, and the bridge opened on 29 August 2020. Together with the Daimyojin Bridge and Kanoko Bridge, which connect Kami-Koshiki island to Naka-Koshiki island, the three islands of Koshikijima are now connected by land, realising the islanders’ desire for “One Koshiki”.

Hereon, it is expected that the medical and disaster support system will be improved and fishery resources will be utilised for further regional development. In addition, as travel between islands will now be unaffected by time or weather, it will be possible to tour tourist spots around the island designated as a quasi-national park, as well as infrastructure tourists who come to see Koshiki Ohashi Bridge itself, which is the longest bridge in the prefecture. It is expected that the number of tourists will increase due to such tours.

The prefectural government will also continue to work together with the locals to revitalise the Koshikijima region.

Koshiki Ohashi Bridge (View from Shimo- Koshiki Ohashi Bridge Koshiki Island) (Looking from Naka-Koshiki Island towards Front: Disused Torinosu Lighthouse Shimo-Koshiki Island)

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Location and Tourism Spots of Koshikijima

ISLAND-WIDE TOURING NOW POSSIBLE

 Increase in tourist numbers  Regional revitalisation through tourism

About Koshikijima’s Tourism Previously, to travel around both Kami-Koshiki island and Shimo-Koshiki Island, one had to go by scheduled boat (both ferries and high-speed boats run twice a day), but the opening of Koshiki Ohashi Bridge allows people to enjoy travelling around much easier by car (30 minute one-way trip from Sato to Kashima).

Koshikijima can be reached via high-speed boat departing from Satsumasendai City’s Sendai Harbor, or via ferry from Kushikino Shin Port in City.

Besides Nagame no Hama Outlook, from which you can experience the mysteries of nature, as well as the scenic Kashima Cliffs, where 100-200m cliffs run on for approximately 16km, Koshikijima is also home to the Satsumasendai Public Office Kashima Branch Office Fossil Exhibition, where precious fossils found in Koshikijima’s Himenoura Group were discovered.

In addition, you can enjoy seafood that you cannot taste anywhere else, at restaurants that serve seafood caught in the waters near Koshiki Island. For details, please see the tourist information site below.

Koshikijima Tourism Information Kagoshima Prefectural Visitors Bureau https://satsumasendai.gr.jp/koshiki-sight-seeing/

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Nagame no Hama Outlook Kashima Cliffs (Kami-Koshiki Island) (Shimo-Koshiki Island)

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○ Kagoshima Specialty Products ○

● “Keep for a Century” Satsuma Tea Canister ●

~ 2019 Kagoshima New Special Product Competition~ Crafts and Livingware Category, Kagoshima Trade Association Chairman’s Award

￥25,000 (tax excl.) / 50g

Utilising the high sealability of tin containers, you can store coffee, tea, or even supplements inside. The container comes in colourful designs so you can easily differentiate the contents.

Satsuma Tinware Crafts Museum Iwakiri Bikodo, Pte. Ltd. 4 Chome-18-2 Kokubuchuo, Kirishima, Kagoshima 899-4332 TEL: 0995-45-0117

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□■━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ■□ Kagoshima Prefectural Government Website

www.pref.kagoshima.jp/

□■━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ■□ Editor’s Note (International Affairs Division, Kagoshima Prefectural Government) I also participated in the tour mentioned in the Coordinator of International Relations’ column. Just like Kim, the head priest’s berating voice made me nervous, but after the Zen meditation was over, I had a curious feeling that my senses had been sharpened.

Osaki Town’s Kuninomatsubara left the deepest impression on me. Selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Beaches with White Sands and Green Pines, the quasi-national park also has facilities for tents and bungalows. From the observation tower, you can see millions of pine trees, as well as the sea and windmills in the distance. It was a spectacular sight!

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What did you think of this month’s Kagoshima Southern Wind Tidings? The editors will continue to strive to make this prefectural multilingual newsletter a source of information and a bridge to connect all of you to Kagoshima. Kagoshima’s Southern Wind Tidings is looking for the following content:

Kagoshima photo gallery Please send us photos that remind you of Kagoshima, or pictures of Kagoshima you might have seen overseas. Please attach a brief caption (e.g. A mountain of volcanic-ash bags).

Knowledge about life in Kagoshima Please share with us information about life in Kagoshima (e.g. a delicious way of eating fried fish cakes, or how to deal with volcanic ash).

We also welcome any other information that you would like to share with our readership.

▲▽▲▽ Inquiries▲▽▲▽ International Affairs Division, PR and Tourism Strategy Department Kagoshima Prefectural Government 10-1 Kamoike-shinmachi, Kagoshima City, Japan 890-8577 TEL 81-99-286-2306 | FAX +81-99-286-5522

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