As part of the County of Hawaii Sister City Program, students from Sumoto City on Awaji Island in Japan have visited Hilo for many years and enjoyed their home-stays with local families, and their exposure to the Big Island and its rich mix of cultures.
As part of the County of Hawaii Sister City Program, students from Sumoto City on Awaji Island in Japan have visited Hilo for many years and enjoyed their home-stays with local families, and their exposure to the Big Island and its rich mix of cultures.
On Wednesday, a group of 12 students accompanied by their school chaperones and a group of business representatives from Sumoto International will visit Hilo. Students will stay in homes of local families and participate in a schedule of events to include cultural and educational activities. They will be joined by members of the Hilo High School Key Club.
In October, county officials, the students from the Hilo High School Key Club and members of the Kiwanis Club of East Hawaii will visit Sumoto City, Shikoku Island and Hiroshima. Hilo students visited Sumoto in 2007, 2009 and 2011, said Charmaine Shigemura, Hawaii County Sister City protocol officer.
Sumoto is located on Awaji Island, the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea. It has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and cool winters. Sumoto City is famous for Kobe beef, Naruto oranges and Awaji onions. The Awaji onion is comparable to the Maui onion in juiciness and sweetness.
“Sumoto City, with a population of 50,000, is the largest city on Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture. The two nearest large cities are Kobe and Osaka. Awaji Island is connected to mainland Japan (Honshu) by the Akashi Bridge, the world’s longest suspension bridge (2.5 miles long, 96 stories tall). The nearest international airport is Kansai International, which is about a two hour bus ride away from Sumoto City,” Shigemura said.
Mayors of Hawaii County and Sumoto City reaffirmed the general agreement in August 2010 in Hilo. Included in the ceremony was the signing of an updated agreement between the county and the Kiwanis Club of East Hawaii, the local host organization since 2004. The original local host organization prior to 2004 was the Floral Shippers of Hawaii. The August 2010 ceremony capped the 10 year anniversary of the original Sister City Agreement.
The Sumoto Department of Education comes under the jurisdiction of the local Japanese government, which fully supports the Student Exchange Program. Sumoto International Association (Chamber of Commerce) acts as the host organization. Their memberships represent a cross section of the island’s community.