In 2009 The Netherlands and Japan will celebrate a milestone. They will commemorate the 400th anniversary of commercial relations, which date back to the year 1609 when shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu issued an official trade permit to The Netherlands.
Walkers of the two countries will celebrate this anniversary by travelling again De Hofreis [Edo sanpu] from the remains of the Dutch Trading Post in Hirado [Nagasaki Prefecture] to Edo-Nihonbashi in Tokyo.
They wish to meet many people and to observe the history of interchange between the cultures of the two countries, and so deepen the relationships of our countries.