City of Salisbury celebrates renewed partnering with Mobara City
Japanese culture is the focus of celebrations in the City of Salisbury this weekend amid a visit by leaders of Mobara City.
During the visit, City of Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge and Mobara City Mayor Atushi Ichihara committed to maintaining their Sister City agreement, a link that was formally established in 2002.
Several key events are being held to coincide with the visit of Mobara City leaders.
The Japanese cultural festival ‘Matsuri on Mobara’ will be held on Sunday 27 October from 11am to 3pm at Mobara Park and the Denison Centre (Mawson Lakes Primary School) in Mawson Lakes and will showcase many elements of Japanese culture.
This family-friendly event offers a vibrant mix of traditional and modern Japanese experiences, including live performances, interactive activities, and delicious food and beverages in a festive atmosphere.
And ‘Pilgrim: A Japanese-Australian Art Journey’, a cross-cultural art exhibition by photographer Peter Hall, will open on 1 November and run to 21 November at Salisbury Community Hub.
Other programs and events during the Japanese delegation’s visit also include hands on origami workshops, calligraphy workshops and Japanese themed displays across the Mawson Lakes library and the Salisbury Community Hub.
Quotes attributable to Mayor Gillian Aldridge OAM:
Sister City partnerships are are about making deeper connections and enabling the exchange of friendship, culture and information.
We are excited to contnue our relationship with Mobara City and showcase Japanese culture in our diverse community.
Background
Mobara City is located in the Chiba Prefecture, some 60km south east of Tokyo and very close to the Pacific Ocean. It has about 90,000 residents.
Like Salisbury, it is situated near the coast on a flat plain and subject to periodic flooding problems and, like Salisbury, it has developed from a largely agricultural community to an area attractive to industry – in Mobara’s case mainly electronics.
The two cities share the same longitude and the same degrees of latitude from the equator.
Since establishing their relationship in 2002 there have been a number of interactions, including hosting of students and teachers from schools in Mobara City and a baseball exchange program.
ENDS