On Friday 22 July, Ambassador Hayashi attended a centenary celebration of the introduction of the Japanese garden at Tatton Park, one of Cheshire's leading Gardens of Distinction. Here he planted a Maackia amurensis 'Buergeri' tree to mark the anniversary and in memory of the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Hayashi expressed his admiration for the garden. "It is amazing that this beautiful garden was introduced to this wonderful setting one hundred years ago as a symbol of our two countries' alliance and friendship, but it is even more amazing that it has been so well kept for a century." He also thanked the people of the North West for their invitation to plant a tree in remembrance of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami, saying, "As the tree flourishes, its vigorous growth will surely mirror the recovery taking place in those parts of my country affected by the disaster. It will serve as a very apt symbol of the warmth and affection that is the hallmark of the ties between our two countries and peoples."

(L to R) Councillor Roger West, Cheshire East Council Mayor, Councillor Wesley Fitzgerald, Leader of Cheshire East Council, David Briggs, HM Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, and Ambassador Keiichi Hayashi

Councillor Roger West, Mayor of Cheshire East Council, said, "The centenary has been a great opportunity to celebrate and highlight the Japanese garden as a unique and special feature of Tatton Park."

Believed to have been inspired by a visit to the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition in London's White City in 1910, the historic garden was introduced to the park by Alan de Tatton Egerton (1845-1920), 3rd Baron Egerton of Tatton, and is now considered "arguably one of the best examples of a Japanese garden in Europe".