Returning to my summer travels - after I took the shinkansen from Kyoto to Tokyo, the next day Morningside University board member Mia Sudo and I took a day trip to Sioux City’s sister city in Japan: Yamanashi City! I had the honor of meeting the Yamanashi City delegation last fall during their visit to Morningside, and at that time I gave a short speech in Japanese welcoming them and then a slightly longer one in English describing the Morningside Art Department.

Mia was so kind - she put in work ahead of time arranging our transportation and schedule, and then she picked me up from my hotel and accompanied me throughout the visit and even translated for me when my Japanese was insufficient. I really appreciated her support of me and by extension Morningside University!

Yamanashi City welcomed me with open arms - literally and metaphorically! It was lovely to get to see the mayor and other delegation members again as well as meet additional city hall staff. Amongst several other very nice presents, I was gifted with a custom katakana stamp of my name, which was an extremely thoughtful, generous art gift which I will be definitely making use of! After exploring more of city hall, we where whisked away to tour more of Yamanashi City, including a sake brewery (and lunch!), a class visit with 5th grade students where I was allowed to join in on their lesson practicing Japanese calligraphy, a Mt. Fuji photo opportunity, a visit to a local museum and its gardens, and their zoo. Yamanashi City is warm and vibrant, and the people are so very kind!