THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2025
Nagaland Districts
Published on Dec 29, 2017
By EMN
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Students from Nagaland seen here with Japanese government officials during the youths’ visit to the Asian country.[/caption]
Dimapur, Dec. 28 (EMN): Urban cities without dustbins because citizens take home the waste materials for disposal; quiet polite streets and noiseless mingling in public; high public safety infrastructure; sharp-on-time transport; clean streets and clean environments. The Naga people may have much more to imitate from the Japanese other than just hairstyles and clothes.
The Iris Program is stated to be a youth invitation program initiated by the government of Japan. It invites promising young talents from the Northeast region of India to visit Japan. Through the program 23 youths from Nagaland and Manipur visited Japan during Oct. 28- Nov. 4, updates from the organisers informed on Thursday.
Seven youths were selected from Nagaland, it was informed. They are said to have visited Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Hiroshima and participating in various activities such as environmental and disaster prevention programs. They visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Shibuya / Harajuku areas etc., too before meeting with a parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs and ‘learning a local government’s effort to boost eco-tourism and others.’
The members also toured various places of interest such as the Tokyo Sewerage Museum, Tokyo Hydrogen Museum, Hiroshima Disaster Prevention Centre, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, etc. They also visited Midori-no-Mura at Chichibu, Saitama for tree plantation as part of India-Japan 2017 year of friendship. They had another real like experience on the rescue mission, survival, mitigation, etc. in the event of natural disaster like earthquake at Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park.
Japan being a most earthquake active belt in the world, the lesson imparted was really enlightening and pertinent as we ourselves belongs to one of the most active earthquake belt in the world under seismic Zone V, the updates stated. Tokyo in particular with all its tall skyscrapers built with high earthquake resistance structures is quite a sight and lesson to behold.
The members also visited historical sites like Meiji Shrine at Shibuya, Tokyo, Itsukushima Shrine, Hiroshima Castle and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple to get insight into the cultural heritage of Japan.
Japan could be one of the world most honest and friendly society especially to strangers. One couldn’t feel more homes even though walking in the street of world biggest city like Tokyo even late night. It’s a very time conscious society and it’s really amazing to learn that Bullet train has an average delay of only six seconds. Eco-tourism is something a cue or two can be taken where its application can come handy at our own locality.
The civic sense and the level of consciousness like traffic discipline, cleanliness, etc. is quite amazing, the updates stated.
“One can’t hear even single blow horn even in such bustling street because of high traffic discipline or see pedestrians walk passed the red line to cross roads even when there are no vehicles. Tokyo with such a huge population must be one of the cleanest cities in the world with its entire pollution free clean environment.”
Further, the updates expressed amazement to see that not a single dustbin exist in the whole city because people normally takes their own waste to their office or home and don’t litter the street.
“It’s presumable that a country is advance not just because of economy or things like that but because mentally and socially they are advanced as well. Japan where a blend of modernity and tradition exist is unique in every sense.”
The team has expressed profound gratitude to the government of Japan and the Embassy of Japan in India and all people responsible for the success of the program.
“At a time when we thought the rest of the world have forgotten our region, and central Government neglected us, Japan seems to be coming as Good Samaritan. Though Nagaland has rich natural resources, it remains untapped and unused and neglected,” the organisers stated.
“Perhaps, the Japanese connection could help realise many things especially in the field of human resource and infrastructure developments. Japan having expressed its interest in north east region of India, its pertinent and prudent Nagaland focus East governmentally, non-governmentally and academically in fostering relationship for greater interest of Nagaland in the long run.”