Blog du Wren

Sister City

Does your town have a sister city? Would you know what it meant if you did? Besides an organized student exchange and town crier representation at very select municipal events, I had no idea. With the hope of remedying that under-education, I set off northward from Tokyo to visit my home town's sister city.

Kisakata, Japan rates barely a paragraph in the ever ubiquitous Lonely Planet, which is a pretty good indication of how many foreigners they see 'round these parts. But escaping the beaten path was high among the reasons I chose to find my way here. And just because they don't see many honkies doesn't mean that tourism doesn't thrive. From great signage* to a visitors center and gift shops, the town seems to really welcome travelers. Walking paths along the water, abundant nature, and a great complete with sandy beaches* are just a few of the attractions that draw Japanese folk here.

Slowly, similarities between Kisakata and Anacortes become apparent. But is that all a sister city is, a similar city on the far side of the globe? Is there no special handshake you can give someone on the street and get invited to their home for a traditional meal and warm bed? No privileges or special responsibilities of individual citizens? While I didn't go knocking on the door at city hall, it didn't really seem like Kisakata had any great familial love it was ready to show me.

Despite no key to the city or party thrown in my honor, I feel I appreciate Kisakata more than most places I go. I find myself imagining life here for the people, from a simple trip to the grocery store to how it would be to grow up here. I smile at people I meet on the street knowing that although they don't know I'm from their sister city, and even if they did BFD, I feel a little closer to them, kind of like the bond to a second cousin once-removed; you share very little tangible, but hey, they're family.

So while my visit to Kisakata is, on the surface, similar to my time in any other random city (, take , , see the , .) it feels a little deeper, a little bigger. This place may not have benefited from my being here, but I have. And I hope this appreciation, while founded on an abstract, almost contrived concept, can be spread to the Anacortes people I share my experience with so when a grubby backpacker from Kisakata finds his or her way to Anacortes, their chances of a stranger taking them in for a meal and showing them around town is a slight bit better. After all, they are kind of like family.

Thursday March 26 2009

File under: travel, Japan

Toggle Comments (4)

comment?

on Thu 26th Mar, 2009 07:01 am PDT Saxtor said:
Great post! I can't help but notice that it's beanie weather in Kisakata*, AND you're wearing a non-self-made beanie. I'm shocked!
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on Thu 26th Mar, 2009 03:43 pm PDT Wren said:
I brought my travel beanie instead of a handmade one because I figured I might lose it or have to jettison it to save space. Excellent observation, though.
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on Fri 27th Mar, 2009 11:08 am PDT rus said:
hey son, a beautiful piece.
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on Fri 27th Mar, 2009 06:42 pm PDT Mom de Mexico said:
Long pants??? What??
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