Vila do Bispo this week hosted a delegation from the Japanese city of Nishinoomote, with which the Algarve municipality has been twinned for over 25 years. A visit where surfing played a central role, with Japanese surfers accompanying the entourage.
Shunsuke Yaita, mayor of Nishinoomote, was accompanied on his trip to Vila do Bispo, between 14 and 16 January, by surfers, students, teachers, representatives of tourism and the Surf Association of that city, as well as Jun Niimi, Japanese ambassador to Portugal.
This reunion between the two municipalities was marked, according to the Vila do Bispo Council, "for several moments". In addition to the protocol ceremonies, the municipality stresses "the presence of the athlete Joana Schenker and her participation in the Surf Tour Guide, where she made known the best beaches in the county for surfing to Japanese athletes".
«Highlight also for the firing of salvos with traditional weapons (arcabuzes), at Praça Tanegashima, in Vila do Bispo, carried out by three members of the Arquebuz Preservation Association of Japan and three members of the Portuguese Association of Historical Recreation» , he added.
Visitors to Japan also got to know the most emblematic cultural spaces in the county, namely «the Igreja Matriz in Vila do Bispo, the Interpretation Centre, Docapesca (Porto da Baleeira), the Farol of Cabo de S. Vicente and the Fortress of Sagres».
The delegation also traveled to the Budens Multiservices Community Center, «an act that aimed to deepen the ties of understanding and friendship between peoples, through the promotion of cultural and educational initiatives».
Two olive trees, a symbol of peace, were also planted in the former primary school in Sagres and the current headquarters of the Clube Recreativo Infante de Sagres. The initiative ended with a convivial lunch at Forte do Beliche, in Sagres.
The municipality of Nishinoomote is located on the island of Tanegashima and belongs to the province of Kagoshima. It has been twinned with Vila do Bispo since 1992, a bilateral agreement that aims to «contribute to world peace and human happiness, with the objective of strengthening the bonds of friendship between Portugal and Japan, which began with the arrival of the Portuguese in the XNUMXth century to Nishinoomote, taking with him the first firearms seen in Japan, a historic event that is still celebrated annually in this city to this day».
Comments