On the occasion of a special Hakone Anniversary Ceremony, three important milestones were celebrated in Hakone: the 100th anniversary of the Hakone Tozan Line, the 40th anniversary of the partnership between the Hakone Tozan Line and the Rhätische Bahn and the 5th anniversary of the city partnership between Hakone and St. Moritz.
For this celebration, the Mayor of Hakone Town, Mr. Nobuo Yamaguchi and the President of Hakone Railway, Mr. Mitsuo Fukawa, were joined by the CEO of Rätische Bahn, Mr. Renato Fasciati, the Director of St. Moritz Tourism Mr. Adrian Ehrbar and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan Jean-François Paroz.
In his speech, Ambassador Paroz stressed that “for the bilateral relations between Switzerland and Japan, it is important to have excellent relations, dialogue and cooperation both at the official level and at the grass root level, or, more specifically at the people to people level. Achieving dialogue, cooperation and friendship at both level, we ensure that our relations are not only excellent, but also that they are strong, warm and deep-rooted. Today, we contribute together to the strengthening of the bilateral relations between economic actors of the private sector and between local authorities and communities. On the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is an important objective of my Embassy to strengthen the relations at all levels and this is the reason why we have developed the “Grand Tour of Switzerland” project and the “Doors to Switzerland” events and communication campaign. The partnerships between the Hakone Tozan Railway and the Rätische Bahn and between Hakone Town and St. Moritz are an element of our Grand Tour and are well documented on our website and on our interactive map. In addition to the map and to the description of the partnerships, our Hakone Anniversary Ceremony today also offers us a precious opportunity to physically hold a station of the Grand Tour here in Hakone, celebrating these successful partnerships.”
More information about the partnerships between the Hakone Tozan Line and the Rätische Bahn and between Hakone and St. Moritz is available on the site of the Grand Tour of Switzerland in Japan.
