Station Ride`s Historical Tour Successfully Completed

Saturday was a cold day, but we were able to complete the tour safely thanks to the warmth of the participants.

It is said that in ancient times, the people of Awa of Shikoku took the Kuroshio sea route, landed in Mera, and built Awa Shrine to worship their ancestors. As time passed, the Awa area flourished and began to boast a unique maritime culture. During the Meiji period, Mera was popular for tuna longline fishing. ShigerOn Saturday, we completed a bicycle tour around the Awa region despite the cold weather. We were grateful for the warmth of the participants. According to history, in ancient times, the people of Awa from Shikoku took the Kuroshio sea route and landed in Mera where they built the Awa Shrine to worship their ancestors. Over time, the Awa area developed a unique maritime culture, and during the Meiji period, Mera became renowned for tuna longline fishing. Shigeru Aoki's paintings, which depict the vibrant scenery of the fishing village, were the first Western paintings to be designated as important cultural properties in Japan. Additionally, the "Monterey Maiwai," a fisherman's kimono given to abalone fishermen who celebrated their big catch in Monterey, America, was recently restored. Chikura and Monterey have a long history of exchange, and the Awa region's maritime culture is fascinating and diverse. The locals find the bicycle tour to be highly interesting, and we look forward to doing it again.u Aoki's paintings depicting the scenery of a vibrant fishing village were the first Western paintings to be designated as important cultural properties in Japan. Also, in the 1900s, the ``Monterey Maiwai'', which is a fishermen Kimono is said to have been handed out to abalone fishermen who went to Monterey, America to celebrate their big catch, has recently been restored. Chikura and Monterey have a long history of exchange. As you can see, the history of maritime culture in the Awa region is rich in diversity and truly interesting.

It was a bicycle tour around such places. It's a very interesting tour for the locals, so we'd like to do it again.