Ekai Kawaguchi memorial plaque celebrating the first Japanese visitor to Nepal (1899), Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu,...

Ekai Kawaguchi memorial plaque celebrating the first Japanese visitor to Nepal and friendship between the two countries, a nearby inscription reads: "The Beginning of the Friendship Between Nepal and Japan - Ekai Kawaguchi 1866-1945 - Ekai Kawaguchi, the first Japanese who visited Nepal in 1899 on his way to Tibet seeking sutras, stayed here in Bouddhanath under the protection of Buddha Bajra Lama. He finally entered Tibet after having experiencced hardships of many kinds and brought many valuable sutras home to Japan. In performing this great task, he received the warm cooperation of many Nepali including Buddha Bajra Lama. In this spot visited by Ekai Kawaguchi, the first Japanese to visit Nepal, this monument was erected in gratitude towards Nepal and the people of this country in the wish for a permanent friendship between the citizens of Nepal and Japan - November 1997 - Kaoru Sumiyoshi" Boudhanath (Bodnath) Stupa, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kathmandu, Nepal