TOKYO, JAPAN — Mayor Rick Blangiardi began his first international Sister City visit as mayor on Friday with a full slate of meetings at the Shibuya City Office and a guided tour of the historic Meiji Jingu, a Shinto shrine located in the heart of the Tokyo metropolitan area.
At city hall, Mayor Blangiardi — accompanied by Honolulu City Councilmember Scott Nishimoto and other local tourism officials — participated in meetings with Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe, Shibuya City Assembly Chairman Naohiro Hitotsuyanagi and members of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“This is actually my first time overseas in four and a half years, and we come here with great respect for you and your entire city,” Mayor Blangiardi said to Mayor Hasebe during the meeting. Shibuya is Honolulu’s newest Sister City, with the two cities establishing formal relations in May 2024.
During the meeting, Mayor Blangiardi and Mayor Hasebe discussed innovation in the technology and media industries, opportunities for youth education and exchange programs between schools in Honolulu and Shibuya, and a shared interest in athletics, including a desire to create a Mayors’ Cup pickleball tournament featuring teams from the two sister cities.
Later, Mayor Blangiardi and Councilmember Nishimoto toured the Shibuya City Assembly chambers and participated in presentations at Shibuya Bridge, which provides resources to start-ups and entrepreneurs. Those presentations largely centered around transit and transit-oriented development, as both cities are currently in the midst of large-scale transit development projects.
In the afternoon, Mayor Blangiardi, Mayor Hasebe and representatives from both cities were given a guided tour of Meiji Jingu, a historic shrine that was constructed in honor of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken, in 1920. The shrine is located in Shibuya, in the middle of a roughly 170-acre man-made forest within the Tokyo metroplex.
Just before departing, the mayor left an inscription in the shrine’s guest book that read: “On behalf of the people of the island of Oahu and the City and County of Honolulu, we extend our warmest aloha and deepest appreciation and gratitude for all the good blessings you bring to the people of Japan and the world. Mahalo nui loa!”
On Saturday, Mayor Blangiardi is scheduled to tour a variety of sites around Shibuya, including Shibuya Font and The Old Asakura House, before departing Shibuya for Hiroshima on Sunday.
—PAU—
AloJapan.com