Green space where the kaki tree was planted lies between “Gianni Rodari” Primary School, and “Antonio Gramsci” Lower Secondary School, both of which are comprehensive schools located in the city center. The city of Roncadelle applied for the Project.
The tree planting ceremony was attended by pupils from both schools and “Ode to Joy” was performed after child mayor’s greeting. Dr. Ebinuma and then the mayor made speeches.
Mainly, primary school pupils helped plant the tree and held the flags of Japan and Italy. After they put soil over the tree roots with their bare hands, they bowed like Japanese and thanked Dr. Ebinuma by saying it in Japanese “Arigato.”
The national anthem of Japan “Kimigayo” was played and then the Kaki Furoshiki was presented. Afterward, primary and lower secondary school children read their poems, which was followed by musical performances of a traditional Japanese folk song “Sakura” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
At the end of the ceremony, a seedling of the bombed kaki tree and the Kaki Furoshiki were presented to the representative from the town of Zavidovici, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was severely damaged by the Bosnian war. Zavidovici is Roncadelle’s sister city, and when Roncadelle city applied for the Project, the plan to send the tree to its sister city was already included.
