site.btaJapanese Diplomats, Bulgarians Pay Tribute to Revolutionary Botev in Okayama

Okayama, Japan - the sister city of Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria) - commemorated for the fourth consecutive year the Day of Botev and Those Fallen for Bulgaria's Freedom and Independence, the Bulgarian Embassy in Japan reported on its Facebook page.

June 2 marks the 150th death anniversary of Bulgarian revolutionary poet Hristo Botev (1848-1876).

During the ceremony, held on May 31, Iliyana Kostova, translator at the Bulgarian Embassy in Tokyo, Ichiro Aisawa, member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament, Kenichi Nakahara, Deputy Mayor of Okayama, as well as representatives of the Okayama-Plovdiv Exchange Association laid a wreath at the bust-monument of Hristo Botev in Okayama.

The event was also attended by representatives of the municipal administration's international department as well as the principals of three schools, where lectures dedicated to Bulgaria had been organized.

During the forum, a report was presented on the association's activities, including the student exchange programme between Okayama and Plovdiv, the joint organization with the Bulgarian Embassy of initiatives dedicated to Bulgaria in Japanese schools, as well as the organization's assistance in the filming of a documentary dedicated to the ties between the two cities.

A ceremony to unveil the bust-monument of Hristo Botev in Okayama took place on October 2, 2022. The monument was donated by the municipality of Plovdiv to mark the 50th anniversary of the partnership between Plovdiv and Okayama.

Okayama is located in the prefecture of the same name, about 650 kilometres northwest of Tokyo, and has a population of about 700,000 people. The city's symbol is the folk tale character Momotaro (Peach Boy), whose monument was erected in Plovdiv in 1992 to mark the 20th anniversary of the twin cities agreement.