Nelson Izu-Shi Friendship Society
  • Sister Cities
    • Origins of the Nelson – Shuzenji (now Izu-shi) Relationship
    • NELSON EXCHANGE VISIT TO IZU-SHI - SPRING 2024
    • NELSON EXCHANGE VISIT TO IZU-SHI - SPRING 2019
    • IZU-SHI EXCHANGE VISIT TO NELSON - SUMMER 2019
    • NELSON DELEGATION VISIT TO IZU-SHI - SPRING 2017
    • IZU-SHI DELEGATION VISIT TO NELSON - SUMMER 2017 >
      • The yunomi jyawan
      • celebratory quilt
      • Saturday market
      • Mona Smith's Photos
      • Flashback to summer
  • Friendship Garden
    • A Short History
    • Building the Friendship Gate
    • COTTONWOOD CREEK SIGNAGE PROJECT >
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - SISTER CITIES
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - FRIENDSHIP GARDEN
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - ECOLOGY OF THE CREEK
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - A KTUNAXA COMMUNITY
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - A SINIXT CROSSROADS
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - FISH AND FISHING
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - LAKE TO LAKE
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - POWER OF WATER
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - ELECTRIC LIGHT STATION
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - WAGARA RAILING
  • Community Events
    • Community Events 2025 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) - April 2025
    • Community Events 2024 >
      • INK PAINTING & JAPANESE BUNRAKU PUPPETRY - APRIL 2024
      • HERITAGE BC FRIENDSHIP GARDEN TOUR - MAY 2024
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) - May 2024
      • BENTO LUNCH COOKING - JUNE 2024
      • Canada Day July 2024
      • LANTERN MAKING ODORI DANCE PRACTICE - AUGUST 2024
      • O-Bon Summer Picnic - August 2024
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2024
      • TAIKO DRUM PERFORMANCE - SEPTEMBER 2024
      • CALLIGRAPY & ORIGAMI - OCTOBER 2024
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2024
      • NABE - WINTER COOKING SAKE TASTING - NOVEMBER 2024
    • Community Events 2023 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2023
      • Canada Day July 2023
      • O-Bon Summer Picnic - August 2023
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2023
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2023
    • Community Events 2022 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2022
      • O-Bon Summer Picnic - August 2022
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2022
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2022
      • 35Th Anniversary, Opening The Garden Shed, And Honouring Jim Sawada
    • Community Events 2021 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2021
      • Canada Day July 2021
      • Olympic & Para Olympic Cycling July 2021
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2021
    • Community Events 2020 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2020
      • Canada Day Tent July 2020
    • Community Events 2019 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2019
      • Obon Summer picnic - August 2019
      • Onibana Taiko Drumming Performance - August 2019
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2019
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2019
    • Community Events 2018 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) May 2018
      • Canada Day July 2018
      • O-bon Summer Potluck Picnic - August 2018
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2018
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2018
    • Community events 2017 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) May 2017
      • Songs and Laments May 2017
      • Canada Day July 2017
      • Obon Picnic August 2017
      • Otsukimi (Full Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading) Sept. 2017
      • Autumn Leaves October 2017
    • Community Events 2016 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) May 2016
      • Canada Day July 2016
      • Obon Picnic August 2016
      • Otsukimi (Full Moon Viewing and Haiku Reading) Sept. 2016
      • Presentation to City Council September 2016
      • Autumn Leaves October 2016
      • Consul General visits Nelson November 2016
  • About us
    • Executive and board
    • Contact
    • Brochure

Nelson Exchange Visit to Izu-shi - Spring 2024

 Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society
2024 Exchange Visits 


Building Sister City Friendships


The Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society promotes the sister city relationship between Nelson and Izu-shi and encourages friendships between the people of our two communities through exchange visits.
 

Exchange Visit to Izu-shi  Spring 2024


​Seventeen members of the Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society recently enjoyed a six-day visit to our sister city of Izu-shi in Japan.


Shown here at the Ryusenji Temple with host families and new friends, our group visited the 2020 Olympic track cycling and mountain biking sites, toured the new Izu-shi fire hall and incinerator, learned how to make  paper, practiced calligraphy at the Shuzenji Temple, and created our own ikebana flower arrangements. 


We enjoyed a delicious shiitake mushroom barbecue lunch. We learned how Izu-shi’s wasabi is grown and even tried wasabi with ice  cream! Most popular with the kids in our group were the vending machines offering a variety of never seen before (hot and cold) treats!


We were warmly welcomed by Mayor Kikuchi, Council Chair Aoki, and Education Superintendent Suzuki as well as by Izu-shi Association for Foreign Relations President Hiroyoshi Suzuki and Exchange Coordinator Atsumi Kurosu. City Hall and IAFR staff and volunteers were very helpful throughout our stay. Their friendly presence made our daily activities most enjoyable. We all particularly appreciated the very professional skills of our translator and local teacher Jungo-san. 


The most special parts of our stay and our Izu-shi stories, however, were the friendships we developed with our host families. In just a few days, we became “part of the family” and through our personal experiences gained a new understanding of living in a Japanese home and community. 


A mountain-sized“Arigatou Gozaimashita / Thank You” goes  out to everyone involved in making our time in Izu-shi so special. You have touched our hearts! 


Funded entirely by the participants, our stay in Japan included a few days in Tokyo, Mishima, and Nagoya and was followed by individual travel afterwards.  


An expected return sister city exchange group visit in August was unfortunately cancelled due to the lack of applicants. We are now looking forward to our next exchanges in March and August 2026!

Picture
*Click the Menu Headings for the main pages.*
  • Sister Cities
    • Origins of the Nelson – Shuzenji (now Izu-shi) Relationship
    • NELSON EXCHANGE VISIT TO IZU-SHI - SPRING 2024
    • NELSON EXCHANGE VISIT TO IZU-SHI - SPRING 2019
    • IZU-SHI EXCHANGE VISIT TO NELSON - SUMMER 2019
    • NELSON DELEGATION VISIT TO IZU-SHI - SPRING 2017
    • IZU-SHI DELEGATION VISIT TO NELSON - SUMMER 2017 >
      • The yunomi jyawan
      • celebratory quilt
      • Saturday market
      • Mona Smith's Photos
      • Flashback to summer
  • Friendship Garden
    • A Short History
    • Building the Friendship Gate
    • COTTONWOOD CREEK SIGNAGE PROJECT >
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - SISTER CITIES
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - FRIENDSHIP GARDEN
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - ECOLOGY OF THE CREEK
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - A KTUNAXA COMMUNITY
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - A SINIXT CROSSROADS
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - FISH AND FISHING
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - LAKE TO LAKE
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - POWER OF WATER
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - ELECTRIC LIGHT STATION
      • COTTONWOOD FALLS PARK SIGNS - WAGARA RAILING
  • Community Events
    • Community Events 2025 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) - April 2025
    • Community Events 2024 >
      • INK PAINTING & JAPANESE BUNRAKU PUPPETRY - APRIL 2024
      • HERITAGE BC FRIENDSHIP GARDEN TOUR - MAY 2024
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) - May 2024
      • BENTO LUNCH COOKING - JUNE 2024
      • Canada Day July 2024
      • LANTERN MAKING ODORI DANCE PRACTICE - AUGUST 2024
      • O-Bon Summer Picnic - August 2024
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2024
      • TAIKO DRUM PERFORMANCE - SEPTEMBER 2024
      • CALLIGRAPY & ORIGAMI - OCTOBER 2024
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2024
      • NABE - WINTER COOKING SAKE TASTING - NOVEMBER 2024
    • Community Events 2023 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2023
      • Canada Day July 2023
      • O-Bon Summer Picnic - August 2023
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2023
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2023
    • Community Events 2022 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2022
      • O-Bon Summer Picnic - August 2022
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2022
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2022
      • 35Th Anniversary, Opening The Garden Shed, And Honouring Jim Sawada
    • Community Events 2021 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2021
      • Canada Day July 2021
      • Olympic & Para Olympic Cycling July 2021
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2021
    • Community Events 2020 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2020
      • Canada Day Tent July 2020
    • Community Events 2019 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) 2019
      • Obon Summer picnic - August 2019
      • Onibana Taiko Drumming Performance - August 2019
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2019
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2019
    • Community Events 2018 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) May 2018
      • Canada Day July 2018
      • O-bon Summer Potluck Picnic - August 2018
      • Otsukimi Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading Sept 2018
      • Autumn Leaves Oct. 2018
    • Community events 2017 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) May 2017
      • Songs and Laments May 2017
      • Canada Day July 2017
      • Obon Picnic August 2017
      • Otsukimi (Full Moon Viewing & Haiku Reading) Sept. 2017
      • Autumn Leaves October 2017
    • Community Events 2016 >
      • Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) May 2016
      • Canada Day July 2016
      • Obon Picnic August 2016
      • Otsukimi (Full Moon Viewing and Haiku Reading) Sept. 2016
      • Presentation to City Council September 2016
      • Autumn Leaves October 2016
      • Consul General visits Nelson November 2016
  • About us
    • Executive and board
    • Contact
    • Brochure