Mr. Nurenberg's Japan Pages: Sister-city
relations
"Currently, there are well over 1,000 U.S. communities
linked with nearly 2,000 sister cities in 123 countries. Concord's program is
a vital part of this international network that seeks to bring about cooperation
and understanding through direct, personal contacts between citizens and cities
around the world." - Concordnet.org
Concord's sister-city relationship with Nanae began in 1989 and since then
has provided a vector for cultural exchange in a variety of ways, including
visits back and forth by students, teachers, and community members. Click
here for a full timeline detailing these exchanges and joint projects from 1989-1997.
Since 1998 the CCHS concert band made two trips to Japan to play with the famous
Japanese Shiroishi band, who in turn came to perform at Boston Symphony hall.
This past summer I was a part of a delegation of teachers and community leaders
who made a visit to maintain those sister-city ties, and this coming October
will let us return the favor by hosting our Japanese counterparts.
The vice-mayor of Nanae greets us and exchanges business cards,
a very important custom in Japan.
The Nanae City Council extended every possible courtesy to
us, including helping set us up with homestays so we could better experience
life in their community.
Below we attend a meeting at Hokkaido University - note the
formality. It felt like a high-level diplomatic conference! Both sides exchanged
greetings, gifts, and goodwill.
Most of the time, we bowed...but here's a rare glimpse of a
good old American handshake!
Below, we meet with the Vice Governor of Hokkaido and his council:
Not all exchange takes place at conference table meetings -
far from it! Events like the Tea Ceremony below gave us plenty of chances to
interact in other forums as well.
I'll just sip some tea here while you continue on your journey...
Last Updated: 8-30-05
