Every summer, a group of students and adults from the Bath area travel to Japan to visit our Sister City, Tsugaru City, in northern Japan. There, the travelers stay with local host families and tour extensively. The warm hospitality and rich experience of the visit is exceptional and provides a life changing experience for many of the young travelers.

And each year, a group of Japanese students and chaperones from our Sister City, travel here to experience life in Bath. They also stay with Bath area host families, and travel around the local area experiencing the pleasures of coastal Maine.

Many local businesses and organizations have supported our program, both this year with individual donations and over many past years with both participation in the program and with monetary and item donations.

We are very grateful for the continued support that we have received from these organizations and businesses, including their contributions to our hosting activities this year:

Governor Paul LePage;

Our sponsors: City of Bath, RSU #1, Sunrise Rotary Club, Bath Rotary Club, Bath Savings Institution and Maine Maritime Museum;

Our donors: Martins Point Health Care, Japan-American Society of Maine, Hiroo Aridome – Bowdoin College, Bath YMCA, Maine Street Bath, Patten Library, Midcoast Orthodontics, M.W. Sewall, Springer’s Jewelry, Mainely Embroidery, Mitsuki Nishtimoto (Bowdoin intern), Hiroko Meserve, Friends of Amori, Maine Amori Sister State Advisory Committee, Now You’re Cooking, Frosty’s Donuts, The Cabin restaurant, Bath Sweet Shop, Rick Perry Photography, Tony’s Dance Studio, Susan and Rose Horrowitz, Paul Hickey, The Dolphin restaurant, Anna’s Water Edge restaurant, Shinobu Nokamura, Andy and Anne Bailes, Dan and Linda Wood, Elizabeth and Peter Cole, Adrienne and Michelle Dolley, Ana Tanner and family, and Deb McPhee.

It has been a good year for the program, particularly because of the phenomenal efforts of our Coordinator Anne Hershberger, and of her counterpart in Japan, Inga Strinz.

We intend to both travel and host next year and invite anyone interested in our program to get in touch or visit our website: bath-tsugaru.org.

Jonathan C. Hull
Vice President, Bath-Tsugaru
City Exchange Program