Sister city program brings two cultures together in harmony
SUNSET PARK Though he had never stepped foot on American soil, Japanese citizen Kenta Ishikawa always believed that Southern California would have uncomfortably hot temperatures in the summer.
That perception was shattered when Ishikawa touched down in Los Angeles earlier this month, staying with a host family in Santa Monica for three weeks as part of a student exchange partnership between Santa Monica and its sister city of Fujinomiya, Japan.
“It’s cold,” he said Thursday. It would seem cold in Santa Monica compared to Ishikawa’s hometown, located at the foot of Mount Fuji, the country known for its hot summers when the air is thick enough to slice with a knife.
Ishikawa and fellow Fujinomiya residents Mai Yasutake and Risa Ito have been exploring the sights of Santa Monica and Southern California since Aug. 7, visiting tourist hot spots such as Universal Studios and Disneyland.
The three 17-year-old students — who all attend different schools — are staying with three Santa Monica High School seniors, hosting their Japanese counterparts as part of the Santa Monica and Fujinomiya Sister Cities partnership.
The two cities have been culturally connected for more than 31 years. The small Japanese town is one of three cities with which Santa Monica has such an agreement, the others being Hamm, Germany, and Mazatlan, Mexico.
Every summer, about three students who are enrolled in a Japanese language class at Samohi homestay in Fujinomiya for three weeks. They return with their Fujinomiya equivalent and homestay student, hosting them in Santa Monica for three weeks. The objective of the trip is to enrich students on both continents through new cultural experiences.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.