Santa Cruz-Shingu 50th Sister City Anniversary Dinner

On Saturday, October 5, Consul General Yo Osumi delivered opening remarks at the 50th anniversary dinner for the Santa Cruz-Shingu sister city relationship in Santa Cruz, California. Santa Cruz and Shingu (Wakayama Prefecture) became sister cities in 1974 after three UC Santa Cruz students were learning aikido at the historic Kumano Juku Aikido school and resided in Shingu for a year. The event, organized by the Santa Cruz Sister Cities Committee and the City of Santa Cruz, was attended by local politicians such as Santa Cruz Councilmember Sandy Brown and State Senator John Laird, and a delegation of 15 people from Shingu, led by Mayor Michitoshi Taoka. During his remarks, Consul General Osumi also presented a commendation to the Santa Cruz Sister Cities Committee to commemorate the occasion.

A delegation of 15 individuals visited from Shingu City, including a middle school student. Santa Cruz also sang the Kumano-bushi, a regional folk song from Shingu, for their guests, and Mayor Taoka joined in.