Carmel’s oldest sister city relationship is with Kawachinagano, a serene city located in the Osaka prefecture of Japan. The agreement with Kawachinagano International Friendship Association was made on April 8, 1994, based on similarities in environment and interests, to create a cultural and economic bond between the cities.

Hosting

Beginning in 1998, Carmel High School and Seikyo Gauken Jr./Sr. School became sister schools and furthered their relationship with the establishment of an exchange program. Carmel students host Seikyo students on odd-numbered years and travel to Kawachinagano on even years. Travelling students live with host families during their time abroad and attend school and daily activities with their host student.

Anna Tridico, The Center’s Community Development & Philanthropy Intern, shared her experience as a host in the Carmel-Seikyo exchange program:

Hosting a student from Seikyo was an incredibly impactful experience for me. We spent months preparing for the arrival of the Japanese students: attending informational sessions on Japanese culture, learning conversational phrases, and creating banners for the welcome ceremony. My student, Misaki, came to class with me, played board games with my family, and met all my friends. Our program also took the whole group of Japanese students on fun excursions like laser flash, bowling, and a Pacers game. My favorite memory with the exchange students was attempting to learn how to line dance at a Western themed party- we all looked ridiculous and had so much fun. By the end of their visit, we had grown so close with the Seikyo group. At the goodbye ceremony, Misaki gave the most heartfelt speech thanking each member of my family, one that left us all in tears. It was such a special experience; I learned so much about Japanese culture and enjoyed sharing our own. Misaki became like a sister to me, and although I couldn’t travel to stay with her during COVID, I keep in contact and hope to go visit her someday soon.

The high school exchange program is an excellent form of citizen diplomacy, peer-to-peer contact between citizens of different countries to shape cultural understanding. Carmel also constructed a Japanese garden in 2007 and a Tea House gazebo in 2010 to commemorate the sister city relationship. The partnership between Carmel and Kawachinagano has brought two decades of economic exchange, cultural communication, and friendship.

Connection to The Center

The International Center is a champion of citizen diplomacy initiatives and a supporter of Sister City initiatives. The Center’s Chief of Protocol, Peter Kirkwood, serves as Indiana State Representative for Sister Cities International. Programs like this one between Carmel & Kawachinagano exemplify The Center’s vision of bringing the world to Indiana and Indiana to the world.