The usual picture of the balloons that rise in the early morning hours on the landscapes of Cappadocia for walking tourists visit the region on Sunday was stained with red and white color combination of the flags of Japan and Turkey, in solidarity with the victims of the devastating earthquake.
The balloons took off early on Sunday with its usual load of tourists from different nationalities, many of them Japan-but on this occasion of them all hung numerous flags of Japan and Turkey, as a sign of brotherhood and solidarity with the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which has caused about 10,000 deaths.
Organizers also distributed tens of flags of both countries among the many tourists who went this morning to make hot air balloon tour over the spectacular landscapes of Cappadocia. In one of the balloons could read a huge banner hanging that said "Your pain is our pain" and "Pray for Japan", written in English, Japanese and Turkish.
Balloon Trips by Cappadocia is one of the main attractions of this tourist region of Turkey, known for its famous "fairy chimneys" and its mysterious underground cities carved for centuries and centuries into the rock by its inhabitants.
Despite the huge distance between Japan and Turkey have long maintained a long and deep relationship of mutual friendship, whose origins date back to 1890, when the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul sank off the coast Wakayama, Japan, having been sent by the Sultan with an embassy and gifts for the Emperor Meiji. The Japanese rescued the survivors and the Japan Emperor ordered them returned to their homeland in two Japanese frigates, thus sealing the opening of Turkish-Japanese friendship. Just in 2010, Turkey was officially declared as "Year of Japan", marked the 120 anniversary of this friendship.
In 1985 Turkey had the opportunity to return this gesture to the Japanese people during the war between Iran and Iraq when the conflict was at its peak and any flight that took off from Iran risked being shot down. Despite the threat, the Turkish government did not hesitate to send a plane to rescue 215 Japanese citizens residing in Tehran. Turkish government then issued a statement saying: "We have not forgotten the rescue of sailors from the Ertuğrul ... So when we knew there were Japanese citizens who needed help, we come to your rescue."
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