- President's Blog
4th visit to Machu Picchu
The team departed from Haneda on April 17th and held discussions with relevant agencies, the Ministry of Culture headquarters and the Cusco office, in the capital Lima and Cusco, coordinated discussions with JICA Peru, which is jointly implementing the project, and confirmed and negotiated with local agents from which they would procure equipment such as drones and lasers.They then began their on-site survey at the Machu Picchu ruins yesterday.
The idea for this project began in October 2015 when I read a newspaper article about the friendship agreement between Otama Village and Machu Picchu Village.
It took about 10 years, but the agreement was signed between Peru, JICA, and Futaba, and we were finally able to begin full-scale research. The research in Peru will last for about two years. We are truly honored to be the first private company in the world to conduct a detailed survey of the entire Machu Picchu ruins.
Immediately after the earthquake, many Tomioka townspeople were constantly conscious of their gratitude for the evacuees who were taken in by Otama Village, and they were asking themselves how they could repay that kindness when the friendship city agreement was signed between the two townspeople. I feel that by continuing to work steadily and without wavering, paths will open up. The idea for Tomioka Wine also began to form around the same time in 2015. It is a strange feeling that the opening of the winery and the start of our research into Machu Picchu happened to coincide with each other.
My mind is constantly swirling with thoughts about both sides, Futaba, my community, my family, and more, but I will do my best. Also, being away from Japan gives me time to think about Japan and the community objectively, and it's an opportunity to refresh my mind.
We have been conducting on-site surveys of the Machu Picchu ruins since yesterday, checking the state of the ruins and the drone's takeoff and landing locations. This time, we will not only conduct a detailed survey of the existing Machu Picchu ruins, but also investigate undiscovered ruins in the surrounding area. We will carefully plan our survey so that we can make new discoveries.
Furthermore, this project has attracted a lot of attention in Peru, and there are high expectations for Japanese technology, so I would like to do my best.
