Over the summer of 2016, Megan Koster and I had the amazing opportunity to visit Seward’s sister city, Obihiro, Japan. Let me be the first one to tell you that this trip was absolutely life changing. For me, this was my first time leaving the country, and I was extremely nervous. However now that I’m back, I am so glad I decided to endure that eleven hour plane ride, and now I would like to share some of the experiences we had during our travels.

The exchange began with the arrival of five Obihiro high school students and their interpreter to Seward. Megan and I, with the help of Deputy City Clerk, Brenda Ballou (to whom we owe much gratitude), enjoyed showing off our small town. The students experienced Stoney Creek Adventures ziplining, the Alaska SeaLife Center, a KFT Dinner Cruise, a Seavey’s Sled Tour, as well as many other activities such as beach combing and Kayak Adventures Worldwide. Both Megan and I had the opportunity to host one or more of the exchange students during their visit. Over the two weeks the students were in Seward, we created lifetime friends.

As the Japanese exchange students prepared to fly home, Megan and I packed our bags for our travels outside of the country. After hours of flying, we arrived in Obihiro! The exchange students and our host families welcomes us at the airport. My first host family was absolutely amazing. As we drove (on the ‘wrong’ side of the road) to their house, we passed miles of farming land before entering the main city. During that first day in Obihiro, my host family brought me to some of their favorite places around town including a Japanese shrine and foot bath. That evening, their daughter and her friends escorted me into the city, where we explored the local arcade games and everyday night life.

Throughout our entire stay, we got to participate in both traditional and modern activities. We had the honor of meeting the mayor of Obihiro and presenting a gold pan trophy as a gift from the city of Seward. During our welcome party, we received the gift of yukatas (cotton kimonos for casual wear) from the city of Obihiro. We were truly accepted by all these people; even though, we did not speak Japanese well. As far as traditional Japanese activities, we participated in a calligraphy class and tea ceremony, as well as taking part in their yearly Heigen Festival.

The three day festival began with the most amazing firework show I had ever seen. Enormous fireworks, lasers and loud music entertained us for over an hour. The second day of the festival was the Omikoshi (shrine-carrying). Megan and I joined about 40 other women to help carry the shrine on our shoulders. On the third day of the festival, we dressed in our yukatas, like traditional Japanese women, and bon danced in the street for two hours. Not only were we able to celebrate the Heigen Festival, but we were an active part of it.

Some of the less-traditional activities we participated in were making sausages, making sweets, and visiting the local museums and zoo. When making the sausages, I think that Megan Koster nearly turned into a vegetarian, but that was forgotten by the time we had our bar-b-que. The sweets making was much harder than anticipated. Their sweets are very detailed and more savory than American sweets. At the local museums, we looked at traditional and modern Japanese artwork. Each city has presented the other with a mural. Obihiro’s mural to Seward is located on IMS Ray Building and Seward’s mural to Obihiro within the local zoo. We had the chance to visit said mural, as well as see the animals.

I had an amazing time in Obihiro, Japan, and it was extremely difficult for me to leave my newfound friends. For this reason and many more, I would definitely recommend this opportunity to current and future high school students. These are some of the many experiences Megan and I enjoyed in Obihiro, and I encourage you to apply and make memories of your own! If you have any questions about the 2017 exchange trip or need an application, visit www.cityofseward.com or contact Deputy City Clerk Brenda Ballou.
Link to application:

http://www.cityofseward.us/DocumentCenter/View/2434