From July 17 to 18, the Ambassador of Japan to Greece, Mr. Ito, paid a visit to the Autonomous Monastic State of Mount Athos at the invitation of Mr. Ioannis Paschalidis, Member of the Hellenic Parliament for Kavala and a member of the Greece–Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group.
During his stay, the Ambassador visited the Church of the Protaton in Karyes, the administrative centre of Mount Athos. He then proceeded to the Holy Monastery of Iviron, where he met the Japanese monk Fr. Timotheos, who introduced him to monastic life on Mount Athos and the spiritual tradition of the Orthodox Church.
The Ambassador was subsequently hosted by the Holy Monastery of Philotheou, where he held a warm meeting with the Abbot of the Monastery. During their discussion, they exchanged views on spirituality and tradition, further deepening mutual understanding and strengthening the bonds of friendship between Japan and Mount Athos, founded upon their shared respect for each other’s distinctive cultural and spiritual traditions.
