In 1956, Minamata City proclaimed to the world the existence of Minamata disease, a disease caused by the ingestion of fish and shellfish contaminated by methyl mercury from the runoff of nearby factories. Over a 14 year period, Kumamoto Prefecture began dredging Minamata Bay, a bay contaminated with mercury, and constructed an “Ecopark” on the reclaimed land. Located here are a number of different facilities including the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, a bamboo garden and an amenity-oriented sea dyke. At the museum, visitors can directly listen to the stories of “storytellers”. In addition, Minamata City, based on past experiences, has been making great efforts to become an
“Environmental City” for its citizens. This includes dividing garbage into 22 different categories.