After 50 years of sisterhood, the cities of Everett and Iwankuni, Japan are celebrating their fruitful sister city relationship this July. The cities became allied in 1962 after a Japanese English teacher Midori Sagami and U.S. Marine Corp Major E.R Agnew met in Iwankuni and became friends. Iwankuni and Everett are one of the first sister-city units to join Sister Cities International and actively promote President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s mission to cultivate lasting relationships between American and foreign cities.
Besides exchanging Japan’s newly purchases Boeing 787’s, the two cities are both home to military bases, ports and pulp and paper industries. Many students study at their respective sister city as well. The bridge in Nishyama Garden, an Everett park draped with Japanese shrubbery, home to a stone-lined stream and traditional-style wooden gates, was a gift from Iwankuni and part of its Kintai Bridge.
To honor the fifty years of sisterhood, a delegation from Iwakuni including the Mayor, City Council President and Chamber of Commerce Chairman are visiting Everett July 24th-25th, which will feature a tree-planting ceremony and celebratory dinner.
For more information, please contact Kathleen Koss, EvCC Nippon Business Institute Program Coordinator, 425-388-9195; kkoss@everett.cc.edu.
Tags: Everett, Iwakuni, Japan, sister city