Lawrence teenagers sometimes don’t like the food, but they always like the people they meet on their summer trips to one of Lawrence’s sister cities, Hiratsuka, Japan.

“The Japanese kids and our kids just click. You hardly have to do anything, and they just start trading CDs,” said Jeff Harkin, assistant principal at Southwest Junior High School.

Lawrence junior high and high school students have through Nov. 8 to apply for one of 20 spots on the 10-day visit to Hiratsuka in June.

Applications are available at all four public junior high schools, Lawrence High and Free State High, Bishop Seabury Academy and Veritas Christian School. Lawrence homeschoolers also can apply, Harkin said.

The trip costs about $1,500 for each student, and some scholarships are available.

The city of Hiratsuka is subsidizing the trip by providing housing and covering most of the students’ meals and activity costs.

June 2004 will be the 15th year of the annual exchange, said Harkin, one of the coordinators of this year’s trip.

Cathy Hilliard, a South Junior High room resource teacher, will travel to Hiratsuka with the students as one of the chaperones.

“[Japanese’s] homes are smaller. … They are a lot more conscientious about recycling,” she said. “They’re a lot more aware of their environment.”

Hiratsuka junior high- and high school-age students also visit Lawrence for 10 days each summer, Harkin said. The Japanese students tentatively plan to visit Lawrence from July 20 to Aug. 5.

Lawrence also has a student exchange program with its other sister city, Eutin, Germany.