中原ひでふみ

From October 13 to 18， 2026， Kawagoe City was deeply honored to welcome the official delegation from Salem， Oregon， led by Mayor Julie Hoy， in celebration of the 40th anniversary of our sister-city relationship established in 1986． Over the past four decades， our two cities have cultivated a profound friendship through administrative， cultural， and personal exchanges．

On October 16， a commemorative dinner hosted by the Kawagoe Sister City Exchange Committee took place at the historic Hatsuneya Garden． As a representative of the Hatsukari Jiyu Seireikai， I had the privilege of attending this memorable gathering． It was truly inspiring to see both cities represented by their first female mayors—Mayor Hatsue Morita of Kawagoe and Mayor Julie Hoy of Salem—symbolizing a new era of diverse leadership．

During the reception， I had the pleasure of engaging in a warm conversation with Mr． Nathan Williams， a 21-year-old delegation member studying art with dreams of becoming a manga artist in Japan． Reflecting on my own experience living in Northridge， California， 40 years ago， I shared words of encouragement for his upcoming studies in Kyoto． Connecting with bright young minds who carry a passion for Japanese culture fills me with great hope for the future of our international bond．

On the following day， October 17， the celebration continued at the historic Grand Procession (Zinkosai) of the Kawagoe Festival， a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage event． Reconnecting with Mayor Hoy， Mr． Williams， and the Salem delegates amidst the vibrant energy of traditional floats and music was an unforgettable experience． Sharing Kawagoe’s pride and living tradition with our friends from Salem reinforced my conviction that genuine， face-to-face human connection is the foundation of lasting peace and friendship．

As we look forward to the next 50 and 100 years， I remain fully committed to nurturing this cherished partnership and promoting Kawagoe’s cultural heritage to the world．

Hidefumi Nakahara
Member of the Kawagoe City Council
former 90th Speaker of the Council / Current Audit Commissioner