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Garden Party Held for Major Donors at Koishikawa Botanical Garden
On Monday, April 7, a cherry blossom garden party was held at UTokyo’s Koishikawa Botanical Garden hosted by The University of Tokyo Foundation (UTokyo Kikin) inviting those donors who had cumulatively donated more than 300 thousand Yen (about three thousand dollars) as well as their spouses and friends.
The Garden is open to the public every weekdays and weekends except on Mondays. Therefore, a Monday party for donors was an exclusive/special event. The Garden is known as one of the famous places in Tokyo for cherry blossoms and has many varieties of species including the most popular Somei-Yoshino. Fortunately most species were in full bloom on the day of the garden party. A trio of musicians played popular and classic music and the UTokyo Co-op opened souvenir stalls.
Professor Jin Murata (Director of Koishikawa Garden), Professor Masaki Tateno ( the director of another UTokyo botanical garden in Nikko), and staff conducted guided tours of the premises in the morning and the afternoon.
The Koishikawa Garden is the oldest botanical garden in Japan with its history of 330 years. It originated when the Tokugawa Shogunate opened its first medicinal herb garden in 1684. The Garden features “historic” plants such as the descendant of Sir Isaac Newton’s famous apple tree and the descendant of the vines which Gregor Mendel improved.
The University of Tokyo Foundation hosts the Koishikawa garden party for major donors every year during the cherry blossom season.
Photos and narrative were contributed by Mr. S. M. who attended the party.
Articles in this newsletter:
- Thirteen UTokyo students and Six U.S. Students Receive FUTI’s 2014 Summer Scholarships
- We Need Your Support for the Fundraising Campaign!
- Donors’ Messages
- Sixteen FUTI donors will be invited to an “Appreciation Reception” hosted by President Hamada
- The Address of FUTI has changed
- Board of Directors Meeting held on April 21, 2014
- FUTI President Kobayashi visits Shintech Chairman and Founder Chihiro Kanagawa
- Why not “Like” FUTI on Facebook?