Japan’s Training Fleet concludes its stay in Spain

The Diplomat The Japanese Training Fleet, made up of the training ship 'Kashima' and the escort ship 'Shimakaze', on Thursday concluded its four-day stay in Valencia, where it arrived for the first time in its history. Nearly 600 crew members arrived on board the two ships, including 190 young cadets from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. After their arrival last Monday at the port of Valencia, where they were received by the acting mayor, Juan Ginés, a representation of the Fleet, headed by Rear Admiral Takahiro Nishiyama, and accompanied by the Consul General of Japan in Barcelona, Akiko Shikata, visited the City Hall and the Municipal Police offices. Over the course of four days, the members of the Fleet were able to visit different places in Valencia and interact with the Valencians, completing a programme of cultural activities. One of the most notable moments took place on the evening of Tuesday 20th, when the Japanese Training Fleet Music Band gave a one-and-a-half-hour concert in the Plaza de la Reina. The band's motto is "There are no borders, music is the universal language!", so their repertoire usually includes songs from the countries where the Fleet stops, with the aim of promoting friendly relations. Thus, the show, which started with a demonstration of Japanese drums, Wa-Daiko, then included the 'March of La Bien Amada', popularly known as the 'Hymn to Valencia' or the interpretation of "Viva España" or "Granada", as well as soundtracks from Japanese films or series such as "Pokemón", "Dragon Ball" or "Super Mario". On Thursday morning, the training ship ‘Kashima’ and the escort ship ‘Shimakaze’ left the port of Valencia, heading for the German city of Hamburg, their next destination in a three-month tour, which will end in early November in Japan.

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