During the recent APEC summit in Peru, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that he was personally managing preparations for the Russian leader’s visit to his country.
“People just can’t wait to see you in my hometown of Nagato. I’m ready to meet you in a traditional Japanese hotel with a hot spring, and on the next day we’ll be heading to Tokyo to discuss economic issues,” Abe told Putin.
In an interview with Sputnik Japan, Nagato mayor Oonishi Kurao spoke at length about how the city was preparing for Vladimir Putin’s visit.
“We are already holding a series of lectures about Russia in Nagato and Yamaguchi Prefecture, local cafes are making delicious Russian pastries and people here are very excited about the Russian president’s visit,” Mr. Kurao said.
He added that the Yamaguchi Prefecture is famous for its beautiful nature and, above all, its friendly and guest-loving people.
“They are still taking great care of the local cemetery of Russian soldiers who fell during the 1905 Russo-Japanese war, and pray for their souls, just like they do for the souls of the Japanese soldiers,” the mayor said.
There are two equally well-cared-for seaside gravestones in Kayoi – one dedicated to the Japanese victims of that war and the other honoring the fallen Russian soldiers and every June 15 the townsfolk pray for both in a local temple.
日露首脳会談の場となる『長門市とロシアのつながり』山口県長門市は日露戦争の長崎県対馬沖の戦闘で犠牲になったロシア兵が通の浜に漂着。地元住民が墓を設置、６８年には新しく建て替えた。毎年６月１５日、同慰霊祭が向岸寺で営まれる。#日露戦争 pic.twitter.com/o8SLLZhSbx
— スポコン (@yabattfit1962) 9 сентября 2016 г.
“We wanted people to know about the Russians buried here and the local people still pray for them. I hope that we will have a map of the memorial placed at the entrance to the cemetery. I still think that with his tight schedule, Putin will hardly be able to visit the memorial though,” Kayoi mayor Yamada Kohei told Sputnik.
Meanwhile, local caterers have actively joined in the preparations for the Russian President’s visit. In an interview with Sputnik, a member of the TeamNGT initiative group, Nashihara Hidetaka, spoke about their campaign to introduce popular Russian dishes to the local public.
“The Japanese-Russian summit in Nagato is a truly historic event for a provincial town, that’s why we decided to make our own contribution by introducing the local people to Russian culture with a series of master-classes on how to make Russian patties,” she said.
In addition, local restaurants have already added Russian shish-kebab to their menus and students of a local agriculture high school have even learned to bake what they call “Russian bread” (фото 5, 6, 7), which is hugely popular and is available in the school’s store.
The head of the local association of Yakitoria restaurant chain Aomura Masako said that in the walkup to Putin’s visit they had added a number of Russian dishes to their traditional menu.
“For many of our customers Russia is a faraway and unknown country, but they now have a chance to taste Russian dishes and learn more about Russia. Our people are happy to see Putin coming here and I think that this visit will help improve our across-the-board cooperation with Russia and Russians,” she said.
Ahead of Vladimir Putin’s visit the city has added a Russian-language page to its official website, and published a variety of colorful guidebooks in Russian. A special Russian-language seminar will be held in Nagato on December 10.
In an exclusive interview with Sputnik the Governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture Muroaka Tsugumasa spoke about the prefecture’s contacts with Russia.
“There is more to our contacts than just the historical memorial in Nagato. The well-known brand Uniqlo, which is now working also in Russia, has its headquarters in Nagato. We are importing coal from Russia and our high-tech crabmeat processing facility will now be working in Russia. We hope that [Putin’s visit] will have many tourists coming here too,” Mr. Tsugumasa said.
During his visit to Nagato Vladimir Putin will have a chance to see Motonosumi Inari – a Shinto temple with 123 red gates gracefully descending to the seashore offering one of the most beautiful sights one can possibly find in Japan.
@mitaras62921144：長州の絶景『元乃隅稲成神社』にも、おいでませ♪ヽ(´▽｀)/#元乃隅稲成神社#長州 pic.twitter.com/srOL31iD2n
— スポコン (@yabattfit1962) 22 ноября 2016 г.
Even though President Putin’s busy schedule, which includes economic cooperation, global problems and the territorial issue, may prevent him from admiring local sights, residents of Nagato want to see him not just as a politician and the leader of a neighboring country, but as a human being eager to see new lands and meet new people.
