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Sister Cities

Sister & Friendship City

Kashiwa City has four sister & friendship cities: Torrance (USA), Guam (USA), Chengde (China) and Camden (Australia). Kashiwa and these cities engage in various activities such as youth exchange programs. Camden became our fourth friendship city in 2005 when Shonan Town merged with Kashiwa.

Torrance
Guam
Chengde
Camden 

Citizens' Delegation Tour to Torrance to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Sister City Affiliation (2/16-2/23)

A total of 44 Kashiwa citizens, including Mayor Kazumi Ota, City Council Chair, Mr. Norihito Tsumuraya, city officials, and some of the members of the Kashiwa International Relations Association, visited Torrance in California on February16 to 23. The visitors received a hearty welcome from Mayor George Chen of Torrance, as well as Torrance Sister City Association members, and many other citizens.

At the welcoming ceremony in front of the City Hall, many city employees welcomed us by waving the small national flags of Japan and the U.S., and the Torrance citizen's chorus sang the national anthems of the two countries. They made us feel deeply grateful for the peace relationship. As was customary, a commemorative cherry tree planting was held on the City Hall grounds. At the Torrance Art Museum, a special exhibition by Japanese and Japanese American artists was being held to celebrate our 50th anniversary. At Torrance North High School, which is the sister school of Kashiwa Municipal High School, the students also sang the national anthems of both countries for us. At lunch time, we enjoyed conversations in Japanese with the high school students who were taking Japanese language classes. After lunch, they gave us a school tour of their large campus, where 1, 800 students study. That evening, the delegation was divided into two groups: the Mayor's Dinner group and the Home Visit group. At the home visit, the visitors made new friendships with the newly acquainted families. At the picnic in Wilson Park, all of us wore the yellow sister city T-shirts and renewed old friendships. There was even a reunion of a former Kashiwa exchange student and his Torrance host family member, who had not seen each other in decades. On the last day, the Sayonara Banquet featured the 50th anniversary signing by the two mayors, and we paid tribute to Mikko Haggott Henson, who passed away last year and was instrumental in the establishment of the sister city agreement. We pledged to further strengthen the ties between the two cities. A delegation from Torrance is scheduled to visit Kashiwa this October.

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Torrance Mission Visits Kashiwa (10/5-10/9)

A delegation commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship with Torrance arrived in Kashiwa on October 5th and stayed until the 9th. Mayor Chen and his wife, all city council members, and 43 people from sister cities. On the 6th, they visited City Hall for a welcome ceremony. When we got off the bus at the main entrance, city hall staff, sister city officials, and citizens were waiting for us, waving American flags and Japanese flags in their hands and giving us a grand welcome. A welcome ceremony was held in the plaza behind City Hall with the participation of many Kashiwa residents. After the national anthems of Japan and the United States were played and greetings were given by both mayors, Mayor Ota presented 50th anniversary T-shirts to all visiting delegates. Afterwards, we toured Smart City Kashiwa-no-ha, took a self-driving bus to the University of Tokyo, and enjoyed lunch at the campus buffet.
In the afternoon, they visited the city council and watched as the resolution to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship and pray for the continuation of the sister city relationship was adopted and passed unanimously.
They enjoyed a brass band performance at Municipal Kashiwa High School, and in the evening a welcome party was held at the Crest Hotel where the delegation was staying.
The next day, a commemorative tree planting was held at Furusato Park. Afterwards, he walked with Mayor Ota along Torrance Street in Kitakashiwa, and the idea that he had proposed was met with cheers. At the adjacent Furusato Park, the children participated in the Warabi Nursery School's sports day, enjoyed singing by the Kashiwa Boys and Girls Choir, participated in the Yosakoi Senjin dance, and enjoyed the Kitakashiwa Town Association's marche. In the afternoon there is a home visit. The 43-person delegation was divided into groups of two to three people and invited to the homes of ordinary citizens for lunch. We visited Torrance in February, experienced a home visit, became friends with people, and asked to accept us in return, which was a great help. It seems that the people of Torrance also enjoyed spending time with their families. At night, we split up into small groups and went to pubs and other places frequented by ordinary people. I enjoyed the yakitori and yakiniku.
On the 8th, we took a bus to Tokyo Tower and Asakusa, and in the evening we had a farewell party. Many past students and host families came to say goodbye. There were a variety of people returning to Japan the next day, including those who headed directly to Narita, those who went sightseeing in Japan such as Kyoto and Kanazawa, and those who traveled to South Korea.
We were very happy that the welcome ceremony was held in an open space for the first time, and that the general public also participated. Furthermore, during our visit to Torrance Street in Kitakashiwa, we not only received the cooperation of various organizations, but also the general public, and we were very happy to see that we were able to further expand this new circle of international exchange.
When I visited Torrance from Kashiwa in February, I received heartfelt and warm hospitality from Mayor Chen and everyone else. We were worried about whether we would be able to provide the same kind of feedback when everyone came to Kashiwa, but I think they were happy with the preparations we made online, our own ingenuity, and our heartfelt hospitality. Mayor Ota's active participation in the event, Chairman Kosuge's enthusiasm, the cooperation of the general public, and the efforts of the Torrance Committee members served as the driving force for a new friendship.

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Welcome Party speech
Torrance Mayor Chen
Donna TSCA Chairman
Mayor of Kashiwa Ota
Kosuge KIRA Chairman

Host Family

As one of our volunteer activities, KIRA maintains a registry of local families willing to take in foreign visitors for overnight stays as well as day visits.

Exchange Program   

KIRA takes part in a wide range of programs, including youth exchange delegations to sister & friendship cities.

infoOffice

【Office】

Kashiwa International
Relations Association

〒277-0005
1-7-1-301 Kashiwa Kashiwa-shi
TEL.04-7157-0281
FAX.04-7165-7321

Open:8:30〜17:15
Close:Sunday・National holiday