Exchange students from our sister city of Embetsu, Japan arrived in Castlegar last Thursday. The group of five students and two sponsors spent a busy week touring Castlegar and the surrounding area.
The group received a guided tour of City Hall including a tour of the environmentally friendly geothermal heating and cooling system and a chat with Mayor Chernoff followed by taking turns sitting behind the mayor's desk.
Tours of the fire hall, RCMP offices and Sculpturewalk were followed by swimming at the Millennium Ponds on Friday.
The group even got to take in an overnight camping trip at Syringa Creek Provincial Park which included beach activities, swimming, kayaking, tubing, a pinata and a scavenger hunt.
The group left Tuesday to fly to Calgary followed by two days in Banff, Alberta.
Embetsu is located on the northern tip of the island Hokkaido and has a population of 4,000. Its main industries are fishing and agriculture.
The program is in its 18th year and involves a student exchange with visits alternating between Castlegar and Embetsu every other year. The goal is to reinforce the relationship of goodwill and understanding between the young people of the two cities. The student exchange is facilitated by a grant from the Shikano Fund, provided by a Japanese businessman born in Embetsu. For more information on the program or to see photos of the visit you can go to www.castlegarembetsu.com.