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Penticton renews an old friendship

Penticton-Ikeda Sister City Society looking to build on successful visit
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A Penticton delegation gathers with their hosts in Ikeda, Japan during a visit to our sister city last May. Submitted photo

The Penticton-Ikeda Sister City Society is hoping to build on a renewal of the relationship between the two cities.

In May, a delegation from Penticton visited Ikeda, Japan to mark the 40th anniversary of the relationship between the two cities, led by Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit and Lester Patrick, president of the Penticton-Ikeda Sister City Society.

The visit was a success and the delegation returned to Penticton with a renewed commitment to strengthening ties between the sister cities.

“It was a fantastic visit. A chance for our members to renew old friendships and for our new members to make new friends with our warm, friendly and gracious Japanese hosts. We were treated like royalty — as only the Japanese people can do — and we are looking forward to extending our hospitality when we host them in Penticton in 2018,” said Patrick.

The Penticton delegation spent two days in Tokyo and four days in Ikeda. including a visit to the wine research centre, the wine castle, Ikeda Elementary School, a Japanese Tea Ceremony, a Buddhist Temple, a Shinto Shrine, and the Ainu (Japan’s indigenous people) Village.

Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said he got a warm welcome from Mayor Katsumaru Katsui and the town of Ikeda during his visit to Penticton's Japanese sister city in May. -Selfie courtesy of Mayor Jakubeit
“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,” Jakubeit wrote in May, while in Ikeda. “It is a fantastic cultural and educational experience, and part of my purpose is to rejuvenate or re-frame our relationship. 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.”

The Sister City Society is looking to expand its membership and keep that 40-year relationship alive and growing strong.

“Our society is not only looking to host our Japanese guests in 2018 and visit Japan again in the future, but we are also planning to offer our membership a chance to experience Japanese culture here,” said Patrick. “For example, beginner Japanese language lessons, Japanese cooking lessons, introduction to Japanese culture, visits to Japanese cultural events in B.C. and other fun activities.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Penticton-Ikeda Sister City Society and how you can get involved, visit the website at www.pentictonikeda.org or email info@pentictonikeda.org.

Penticton-Ikeda Sister City Society Takes the Next Step

July 31, 2017 - Penticton, BC

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KONNICHIWA — Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said he got a warm welcome from Mayor Katsumaru Katsui and the town of Ikeda on his arrival on Wednesday in Penticton’s Japanese sister city. Selfie courtesy of Mayor Jakubeit