We Are Tomodachi Spring / Summer 2016

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17The Charms of the G7Ministerial Meetings Host Cities　The city of Toyama, site of the G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting, is about two hours from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, a high-speed railway line that came into service in March 2015. It is one of the principal cities on the Sea of Japan coast. The city is rich in nature, with features ranging from Toyama Bay, with a maximum depth of more than 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), to the Tateyama Mountain Range, with peaks of around 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). From April through June the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, which provides an entryway to Toyama via the Northern Japan Alps, is flanked by great walls of snow reaching heights of about 20 meters (65 feet), created when the snow is cleared from the road—a breathtaking sight that enthralls tourists from Japan and abroad. Visitors to Toyama can enjoy sushi made with the bountiful seafood from Toyama Bay, along with local sake made with the clear water from the Tateyama peaks.　Toyama has adopted various environment-friendly policies, including the introduction of light rail transit (LRT) and the building of small hydroelectric power plants. In its “Compact City Policies” report, the OECD selected Toyama as one of five leading cities in terms of these policies.Toyama: A Nature-Rich City with Environment-Friendly Policies1. A tram runs along the Centram loop line of Toyama’s light rail transit (LRT) system; in the background is Toyama Castle, the city’s symbol. Toyama is promoting use of LRT by distributing free-ride tickets at hotels within the city to tourists from abroad who spend the night there. 2. A view of Toyama’s urban center, including Toyama Station of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, against the backdrop the Tateyama Mountain Range towering around 3,000 meters in the distance.12 G7 Japan 2016: Messages from Toyama and Karuizawahttps://youtu.be/XR76aflCMHY

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