ATHENS – The citizens and visitors of Athens were recently handed over the city’s first public Japanese park. The project was completed with the support of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Greece, which has also undertaken its systematic maintenance for the next three years.

According to an announcement, this action, as well as the project for the restoration and regular maintenance of the gardens of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens that was implemented two years ago, are part of the company’s goals for a Sustainable Future.

The transformation of the Nereides Park in Pagrati into an authentic Japanese garden and a thematic “green oasis”, opposite the national art gallery, was made within the framework of the “Adopt Your City” programme of the Municipality of Athens and is under the auspices of the Japanese Embassy.

At the handover ceremony of the Japanese garden celebrating Natsu Matsuri, the traditional Japanese summer festival, JTI’s general manager in Greece, Lili Zigoslu, spoke about the company’s conscious choice to ensure a sustainable future for all while emphasising JTI’s dual goal which is: “In addition to contributing to the development of the urban environment, it also offers the citizens and visitors of Athens a unique example of Japanese philosophy and architecture.”

Zigoslu thanked the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, the Ambassador of Japan, Nakayama Yasunori, Dimos Vratsanos from the Hellenic-Japanese Friendship Association, who proposed the idea of a Japanese park in Athens, and the managing director of Ecoscapes, Dr. Antonis Skordilis, who, together with his team, undertook the design and implementation of the transformation of the park.