A delegation from Kakegawa, Japan met with Eugene representatives and Mayor Kitty Piercy to renew their sister city agreement on Thursday. The mayors exchanged gifts at a ceremony held at Harris Hall.
The sister city agreement between the two cities began in 1979. This was the first visit to Eugene for Kakegawa Mayor Saburo Matsui. During the ceremony, Mayor Piercy said, "We support the development of communication skills and promote global understanding by sharing experiences through study abroad opportunities."
Through a translator, Mayor Matsui said he is impressed by the nature and educational opportunities in Eugene.
Matsui: "For the children of Kakegawa, I wish that they would continue to be international person that can go out in the world and experience a lot of things. And in order to do that they would need to study and learn more about English conversation."
Mayor Piercy and Mayor Matsui exchanged plaques honoring the sister cities' relationship. The Japanese delegation passed out green tea to the crowd gathered at Harris Hall.