City News Shinagawa --15th Anniversary of Friendship City Agreement

City News Shinagawa

15th Anniversary of Friendship City Agreement — Delegation Visits Geneva

It has been 15 years since Shinagawa forged a Friendship City Agreement with the city of Geneva, Switzerland on September 9, 1991. A cornerstone of the exchange activities that both cities have been engaged in since that time has been the youth homestay program. This year, a group of 16 young people visited Geneva from July 30 to August 15. In commemoration of the 15th anniversary of this partnership, an official goodwill delegation will also travel to Geneva. Delegates will participate in a 15th anniversary celebration ceremony at the Ariana Park and in exchange activities with residents of Geneva.


	Geneva Geneva, a leading international city in Switzerland, is home to more than 200 international institutions including the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The city is located on the western bank of Lake Leman at the mouth of the Rhone River. The official language is French.

Friendship Spurred by Daibonsho Bell
The Daibonsho bell at Honsen-ji Temple in Shinagawa was displayed at the World Expo in Paris in 1867 and then in Vienna in 1871, but its whereabouts became unknown after that. In 1919, it was discovered at the Ariana Museum in Geneva. The kindness shown by Geneva in returning the bell to Honsen-ji Temple became the impetus for interactions between the two cities and in 1991, Honsen-ji Temple presented the city of Geneva with a new bell. The delegates to Geneva always visit the Ariana Park and seal the friendship between the two cities by ringing the bell together with their host families.

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The Daibonsho Bell on its way to Honsen-ji Temple
(Picture provided by Mr. Iijima, a resident of Shinagawa)