Great News from a Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi Student
This week in her English lesson at Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi, a student told me some great news on Amagasaki, the home of my English school. There is a new Amagasaki Castle and it will be opening to the public on March 29, 2019! What wonderful news!
Amagasaki Castle Is Back
At that at the end of the Edo period (10603-1867), many castles in Japan were demolished, including Amagasaki Castle which was demolished in 1873. Then came Akira Abo, founder of the Japanese household appliance company Midori Denka Co which is now merged with Edion Corporation. Mr. Abo wished to give back to Amagasaki where he had started his company. He therefore donated 1 billion yen of his own money to build a replica of the original one. In addition to that, he is donating this new Amagasaki Castle to the municipal government of Amagasaki. Wow! As you can see in the photo taken from the cover of a free local magazine (あまがさき), the castle is a pretty white. It reminds me of Himeji Castle, a famous castle in Japan. You can read another Smith’s blog written on it by clicking here.
Giving Back
I find it truly admirable when someone who achieves great financial success (like Mr. Abo) gives back to the world by donating something as a way of saying thank you. It is a wonderful thing to do and something I think demands a lot of respect. Thank you so much for your kind donation to Amagasaki, Mr. Abo. Thanks to you, visitors will soon be able to visit a replica of Edo era Amagasaki Castle and experience a part of Amagasaki’s history! I look forward to visiting it!
Derek Maeckelburg
Teacher/Owner
Leave a Reply