The Tojama Park in the Great Forest was inaugurated

Koizumi Hirosi, honorary president of the Tojama County Art and Culture Association, Mayor of Debrecen  László Papp and  President of the Tojama-Debrecen/Hajdú-Bihar Art Exchange Program Association Tibor Szólláth welcomed the decades-long cultural and artistic cooperation between Tojama County and Debrecen with a grand ceremony, on Sunday the 18th of June 2023.

Four decades ago, in 1981, the NGO Regional Art Exchange Programme was established between Tojama County and Hajdú-Bihar County, which has so far organised more than 200 cultural events with the participation of more than 1,700 Japanese and 800 Hungarian artists. In the spirit of this cultural and artistic cooperation, the rocky and spherical part of the Great Forest was named Tojama park.

In his speech, Mayor of Debrecen László Papp said: Thanks to Koizumi Hirosi, the Japanese audience was able to get to know the plays by István Örkény, Ernő Szép and Milán Füst. “With the creation of the Tojama Park, we aimed to enrich the Great Forest with a space suitable for relaxation and meditation. The park also brings the Japanese culture close to nature and closer to the people of Debrecen,” he said.

As a token of his respect, the mayor presented Koizumi Hirosi with the City of Debrecen’s City of Civic Award and the key to the city as a token of his friendship. 

“This is the 59th time I have visited Hungary,” Hirosi Koizumi said, adding that the Flower Carnival in 1985 had already attracted 65 Tojama artists, dancers, visual artists and flower arrangers. He expressed his hope that artistic and cultural exchanges between the regions will continue to develop.

“What we have around us now is a tangible form of love and respect for each other’s culture, and the message of this can be felt by those who come here,” Tibor Szólláth said. He stressed that preserving this value is a very serious responsibility for the present and the future of the present generation.

The festive naming ceremony ended with a joint tree-planting ceremony.  The autumn cherry tree was planted by Koizumi Hirosi, László Papp, István Puskás, Tibor Szólláth and István Pinczés.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu