CITYWIDE — For the past 31 years, a cultural bridge across the Pacific Ocean has connected Santa Monica to the tranquil city of Fujinomiya, Japan, located at the foot of majestic Mount Fuji.
For three decades, the two cities have cultivated a sister city relationship, oftentimes sending high school students, community groups and delegates to each other’s countries to experience a different way of life.
Located 130 kilometers from Tokyo in Shizuoka Prefecture, or 1.5 hours via bullet train, Fujinomiya is actually one of three cities the Santa Monica Sister City Association (SMSCA) has established ties with around the world.
Following the end of World War II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 oversaw the concept of a sister city as a way to promote world peace. Five years later, the SMSCA invited the city of Mazatlan, Mexico, to be its first sibling city.
Eight years later, the city of Hamm, Germany, was on board. In 1975, Fujinomiya followed suit.
Now, the SMSCA is looking to expand its family once again, considering the establishment of ties with cities in France, Italy, China and South Korea.
“We like to have the same kind of geographical identity and we like to have the same population and demographics,” said Mary Edwards, a member of the board of directors at the SMSCA.
As of last year, Santa Monica has more than 87,000 residents. Fujinomiya’s population stands at 120,000.
Each summer, three students who take the Japanese language class at Santa Monica High School homestay in Fujinomiya for three weeks. The Americans then come back with a student with whom they stayed and invite them to live in their homes for another three weeks.
“We organize Japanese activities like tea ceremony,” said Mizue Sei-Macfhearchair, international coordinator in the city of Fujinomiya. “Families also take them to places like Tokyo for sightseeing.”
The SMSCA pays 40 percent of the student’s airfare. Everything else is up to the students and the host family.
The exchange program helps both American and Japanese students build language skills. Sei-Macfhearchair says the Japanese students often want to stay in America, where they feel they have more freedom because they can enjoy a vacation without parents.
But there are drawbacks with taking a trip to Japan during the summer, at which time a combination of heat and humidity can make for an unpleasant experience at times.
The students must be at least in the level three, or intermediate-low, Japanese language class to qualify for the exchange program, said Samohi Japanese language Teacher Emily Kariya. The process also includes an application and interview.
“Their (Japanese) definitely improved while they were there,” Kariya said. “They’re motivated to learn after coming back.”
The program allows these students to apply classroom knowledge of Japanese culture to real-life experiences, Kariya said.
Last summer, the SMSCA celebrated its 30th year of having a relationship with Fujinomiya. The association sent the local girls and boys teams from the local American Youth Soccer Association to compete in the festival in Japan. The girl’s team came back with a trophy.
The association has also hosted student exchange programs with Mazatlan and Germany. Edwards herself has hosted students from Japan and Mexico and is even a godmother to the sibling of one of her former homestay students from Mazatlan.
The Mazatlan student, Monica Lopez, is currently studying to become a doctor in neonatal surgery, Edwards said.
A sister city association not only adds cultural value to the relationship,it also helps raise visibility for the foreign city, Edwards said.
“One thing that really amuses me is when the Germans came here, they were impressed by pot luck dinners,” Edwards said. “Now they have pot luck dinners in Hamm.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.