Kreuzlingen is a beautiful city located on the Bodensee, on the border with Germany, about 60 km away from Zurich. The person who applied for the project is Ms. Colina A. Blanco W., who learned about the Kaki Tree Project on the BBC website and discussed plans of workshop and planting site with her friend, Mr. Walter Bartschi. They asked the city of Kreuzlingen for their cooperation so the project was realized. The planting site is a vast garden of a mansion nestled along the Bodensee, which is now owned by the university, and the well-kept garden is under the management of the city of Kreuzlingen.
Children from neighboring elementary schools and many people from the city of Kreuzlingen including the mayor and manager from city’s education division (市の教育課長) attended the tree planting ceremony. After an opening address given by Mr. Walter Bartschi, there was a traditional sitar music performance of Nepal and then the tree planting followed. Children took turns in putting soil in a pot with both hands. Considering that the temperature goes down to -10 degrees Celsius during the winter there, they will see how well the tree can adapt after planting it in a big pot and putting inside the glasshouse for three years. After the tree planting, children together played the song “Sakura Sakura,” sang a song and read their poems, which was followed by a speech given by Mr. Ebinuma. Following a jambe performance, presentation of Kaki-no-ki Furoshiki (Persimmon wrapping cloth) and a speech made by Ms. Colina A. Blanco W., finally, children put 1,000 origami cranes around the seedling, concluding the ceremony. The seedling looked very beautiful surrounded by the colorful origami cranes. Those 1,000 origami cranes, based on the Sadako’s Story, were made prior to the ceremony by the children at four elementary schools, each pupil making three of them.
