Marquette, MI – May 2, 2018 – Dominic Davis joined the Marquette West Rotary today to talk about his recent trip to Japan as a delegate to Marquette’s Sister City. Bringing a little of Japan with him to this week’s luncheon, Davis was dressed in Japanese summer wear!
Dominic Dave was among the ten people who were apart of the visit with Bill Brazier as the trip leader. For those who do not know, a sister city is a formal partnership with two international cities to promote friendship and understanding. To join, you simply fill out an application!
In 1979, Marquette’s first sister city was finalized with Higashiomi, Japan. 18 years later, Marquette formed it’s second and more well known partnership with the city of Kajaani in Finland.
Davis and his trip mates made the sixteen hour flight from Minneapolis for a twelve day trip with two days set aside for traveling. The trip was $2,600 including airfare, home stays with host families, and food. Depending on the flight costs, some of the members traveled for even less!
Dominic mentioned how exciting it was to stay in someone’s home during the trip. He spent four days with his host family in Higashiomi to get a true taste of the region’s culture. As a photographer Dominic remembered how beautiful the landscape was sharing photos from his trip during the presentation. He also pointed out that the monkey’s are like equivalent to our squirrels here.
One of the biggest highlights of sister city trip was spending time with his host family. One of the daughters spoke English, so well, he thought she sounded like she was from Ohio! The father in the family loved beer and owned a mechanics shop. One of daughters was in love with the arts and showed him many interesting pieces and the mother has a salon in a second house for her business near their man home.
Experiencing the culture in the Shiga region of Japan was special in and of itself. Davis pointed out that the Japanese are very big on gift giving – little items for children on the street, and American beer for the adults. When entering a room, guests are clapped for. Japan seems to appreciate and celebrate a lot with many parades throughout the year.
Davis even got to meet a Samurai! He was shocked that they were so common in the area and had real swords. The Samurai he met enjoyed having their photos taken so he snapped away capturing all he could of Japan’s culture and history.
To learn more about the Marquette Area Sister City Partnership, click here. There are often meetings to get future delegates ready for trips. For more information, contact Paulette Lindberg by phone at 228-6459 or 869-4141 or by emailing paulettelindberg@gmail.com.
