New home for tea house

Published on 28 November 2014

The Japanese tea house at the Nagaizumi-Wanganui Friendship Centre will be relocated to Bason Botanic Gardens, thanks to support from the Bason Botanic Gardens Trust.

The Centre, which is located in Duncan Street, Wanganui East, was established in 1991 at the beginning of the sister city relationship between Wanganui and Nagaizumi to provide information about Japanese culture.

During a visit by Mayor Annette Main to Japan in September this year, Nagaizumi Mayor Hideo Endo said his council would be selling the Centre.

He said because of changes to the economy Nagaizumi could no longer afford to keep it running and advances in technology mean finding out about Japan is much easier than it was 30 years ago when the centre opened.

Both mayors agreed that retaining the traditional tea house, where people from Wanganui and beyond can experience Japanese culture, was beneficial to the community.

The Bason Botanic Trust agreed to fund the move of the tea house and is looking at how they may be able to work with the Rotary Club of Wanganui and the Nagaizumi Friendship Group on the project.

It is expected the tea house will be relocated by April 2015 to a spot which overlooks the lake at the reserve. The Bason Botanic Trust will plant Japanese-style gardens around the building.

Mayor Endo said he wanted to thank the people of Wanganui for visiting the Nagaizumi-Wanganui Friendship Centre over the years and he is looking forward to visiting the district in the near future.

The mayoral visit to Nagaizumi by Mayor Annette Main was the first in 10 years. Ms Main said it was a “humbling experience” and she and Chief Executive Kevin Ross were “treated like royalty”.

“The Sister City relationship group in Nagaizumi is really committed to linking our two communities for educational and cultural purposes. We look forward to seeing how this relationship develops into the future.”