Sister city journey a treat for mayor

The famed Mount Fuji, along with the second-tallest outdoor Buddha in Japan, will be among the stops for Mayor Boog Highberger as he travels to Hiratsuka, Japan, this week to celebrate 15 years of Lawrence serving as a sister city to the Far East community.

But Highberger said he was most interested in seeing old friends. A 44-member delegation from Hiratsuka visited Lawrence in September as part of the city’s sesquicentennial celebration.

“I’m glad that we can repay the visit to our friends in Hiratsuka,” Highberger said.

Highberger and seven other city residents will leave Saturday for the Japanese city that is about a one-hour train ride from Tokyo. Highberger will stay until June 7. Others in the group will stay until June 11.

Graham Kreicker, chairman of the city’s Sister Cities Advisory Board, said it was appropriate that group members were most excited about interacting with their Japanese host families.

“That’s what this program is really about,” said Kreicker, who is among the delegation. “It really is a people-to-people program.”

As part of his official duties, Highberger will receive an overview of the city’s services, meet the city’s mayor and present Hiratsuka citizens with a color rendering of Lawrence’s Japanese Friendship Garden, which just north of the Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Mass.

The gift is to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the sister cities program. City leaders formalized the partnership in September 1990. Five years later the city added a second sister city, Eutin, Germany.

Now, the city’s Sister Cities Advisory Board is exploring opportunities for a third sister city. Kreicker said the advisory board was studying Spanish-speaking cities in South America, the Caribbean or Spain, along with cities in Ireland. He said the group could have a recommendation to city commissioners by December.

Who’s going

In addition to Mayor Boog Highberger, the Lawrence group traveling to Hiratsuka, Japan, includes Andrew Tsubaki, a Kansas University professor emeritus in theater and film who previously lived in Japan, and his wife, Lilly Tsubaki; Lawrence police officer John Barta and his son Tim Barta; and James and Barbara Blaker, who have been active in the sister cities program.

Highberger said the sister city program was a valuable one.

“It really connects us with the rest of the world,” Highberger said. “It brings us perspectives other than the ones we are used to.”

City taxpayers are paying for Highberger’s $1,146 airline ticket. Other delegates are paying for their own airfare as part of the trip.

In addition to the Lawrence delegation, 15 Lawrence students will travel to Hiratsuka in June. In August, 15 students from Hiratsuka will travel to Lawrence. Lawrence students this summer also will be traveling to Eutin, as well as hosting Eutin students in the fall.