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Marion and Kokubunji celebrate Sister Cities 30th anniversary

Posted:
Monday 08 May 2023
Please note the content of this news item is over six months old and may no longer be current.
Kokubunji gardener

The City of Marion is scheduled to welcome a delegation of seven representatives from the City of Kokubunji in Japan this Thursday who have travelled to Adelaide to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Sister Cities’ relationship.

Sister Cities programs flourished in the years following World War II with the aim of encouraging international goodwill.

In the early ‘90s, Kokubunji reached out to the City of Marion about the possibility of establishing a Sister City arrangement, because Marion was on the same longitude and within a similar time zone.

An agreement was signed between Marion and Kokubunji in 1993 and since then the relationship has focused on exchanges between municipalities, schools, and sporting and cultural groups.

The 10th anniversary was marked by the planting of a Japanese garden in Oaklands Park. This garden is now situated at the Administration Centre on Sturt Road.

The 30th-anniversary delegation includes the Mayor of Kokubunji, Mr Kunio Izawa; the Superintendent of Education Kokubunji, Mr Masahiro Furuya; and the President of the Kokubunji International Association and Associate Professor of Tokyo Keizai University, Ms Toshiko Oda.

During their visit, a Civic Reception will be held at the Mitchell Park Sports and Recreation Centre.

The delegation will also visit local schools and many of the facilities in Marion including the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre, the Oaklands Wetland, the Tonsley Innovation District, Marion Cultural Centre, Cove Civic Centre, Patritti Wines, the Coastal Walkway, and a number of our parks and playgrounds.

Some of the gardeners from Kokubunji will spend time with the Marion’s Open Space Team and the City of Adelaide is hosting a tour of their renowned Himeji Japanese Garden in the Adelaide Park Lands.

Image: This photograph was taken by The Advertiser 20 years ago at the establishment of the Japanese-style garden in the Oaklands Wetland. Pictured are former City of Marion employee Brian Jones, left, with a representative from Kokubunji.

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