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Mayor Andrew Jakubeit is one of a small delegation from Penticton now in Ikeda, Japan to celebrate 40 years of being sister cities.
Thursday was their first official day visiting Ikeda, a far cry from Tokyo, in a rural setting with mountains and a main industry of agriculture, the mayor said.
"Ikeda is very similar to the Okanagan region so I can see why it is our sister city. We are here to celebrate 40 years of being sister cities; which is one of the most active Canadian/Japanese relationships. It is a fantastic cultural and educational experience, and part of my purpose is to rejuvenate or re-frame our relationship," the mayor said in an email.
"There hasn't been a council representative visit Ikeda since 2008 because economic realities from both communities have limited our opportunities for exchanges and visits. We do have a school exchange program every three years so that is encouraging and potentially a model to consider in terms of staggered visits every X years.”
“Many of the sister city society members have been involved for 40 years, so we need to ensure the relationship can continue to sustain itself with new and younger interest. Lester Patrick is the Penticton sister city society president who recently just joined the group and made his first visit to Ikeda. Hopefully he can engage the Japanese community and those interested in culture to join and support their society so we can continue with cultural, educational, and potential economic opportunities for both communities to benefit from," Jakubeit added.
According to the mayor, they were warmly greeted at the airport by 15 people with banners and signs and then at city hall by 50 people.
They met with Mayor Katsui and part of his council for a formal welcome and toured the city owned winery which was started in 1967.
On Friday they will visit an elementary school, museum, temple, tea ceremony and formal reception.
The visit concludes Monday as the mayor returns to Penticton, while other members continue visiting other regions of Japan.
