【Report】Students from Riverside Community College (RCC) arrive in Sendai!
From the 28th (Fri) to the 30th (Sun) of June, Sendai welcomed a 40-person group of students and staff from Riverside Community College in Riverside, a sister city of Sendai. Participating in a 2-night 3-day program, the group had the opportunity to meet students from Tohoku Fukushi University, homestay with local families, and learn more about the 2011 East Japan Earthquake at Arahama, Wakabayashi Ward.
On the first day, the group visited Tohoku Fukushi University and got a taste of Japanese culture (tea ceremony and zen meditation) and traditional art and crafts, all while getting to know students from the university. In the evening, students met the families that they would be staying with for the weekend and enjoyed their evening with their hosts at each of their households.
On the second day the group went for a walk around the Aobayama area.
The group visited the monument in front of the International Center Station, the “Riverside Bell” which is a testament to the exchange between the two sister cities, as well as Sendai Ryoksaikan Visitor Centre.
In the afternoon, the group visited the Arahama area, which sustained significant damages during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Student volunteers from the disaster recovery and regional support group “ReRoots”, accompanied the students from Riverside as they toured ruins of the 2011 earthquake such as Sendai Arahama Elementary School and remaining foundations of homes. The volunteers from ReRoots provided detailed explanations about the damage from the disaster and the journey to recovery that followed.
After visiting areas affected by the disaster, the group moved to “Fukanuma Seaside Place”, a center opened in 2023 to facilitate exchange.
A workshop on straw crafts was then held by ReRoots.
Behold, a snail! It was made with straw from the Arahama area.
The group did a fantastic job with their creations, with the help of everyone from ReRoots.
On the third and last day, the students spent their time with their individual host families and went sightseeing around Sendai
While it was only a short 2-night 3-day program, by getting a chance to interact with their host families, and students from ReRoots and Tohoku Fukushi University, new bonds were formed between Riverside and Sendai.
At SenTIA we support exchange between civic organizations from all of Sendai’s International Sister and Friendship Cities, including Riverside.
If you would like to learn more about the cities with agreements with Sendai, check out the links below!
Sendai’s International Sister and Friendship Cities
International Sister/Friendship Cities and Cities with Official Agreements Riverside (U.S.A)