26 July 2025
From July 19 to 26, 2025, OISCA Shizuoka Prefecture Branch dispatched a 11-member delegation headed by Ms. Emiko Uchiyama, Branch Secretary General, to Mongolia. The Shizuoka Branch has been organizing tours to Mongolia since 2010. This time, the delegation traveled 2,550 km across Mongolia from north to south.
The Shizuoka Branch organized a tree planting forum in Mongolia in May, 2010 and launched a greening project in that country.
In 2010, Shizuoka Prefecture and Dornogovi Province signed a sister city agreement. The governor of Dornogovi Province, who was also the Chairman of the OISCA Mongolia Chapter at the time, used the forum as an opportunity to establish the sister city relationship.
On the first day of the tour, they visited the memorial monument for Japanese war prisoners, which was visited by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress during their goodwill visit to Mongolia in July this year, and all the tour participants joined hands in prayer. Then, they moved from the Capital city Ulaanbaatar to Orkhon Province, and visited Bayan-Undur Mountain in the province to check on the growth of 100 larch trees planted during last year’s tour and confirmed that 80% have taken root.
Next, they visited the farm of an OISCA trainee alumnus nearby. There, they were amazed by the abundance of vegetables and fruits such as cucumbers, broccoli, grapes, and mandarin oranges.
During the latter part of the tour, after returning once to Ulaanbaatar, they traveled overland to Omnogovi Province in the South Govi Desert, and then visited the provincial government office to pay a courtesy call on the Chairman of the Provincial Council. He expressed great interest in OISCA’s philosophy. After the courtesy visit, the tour group planted 100 willow trees on the provincial grounds under a scorching 35 degrees C sun, alongside local residents and OISCA alumni trainees.
Another purpose of this visit to the Gobi Desert was to observe the constellations in the night sky. All participants were delighted as they gazed up at the night sky. They extend their gratitude to the members of the Shizuoka Prefecture Branch for the cooperation, which enabled the group to complete the trip to Mongolia safely.
