From our friends at the Japan Society of Boston:

Salem Massachusetts, USA and Ota Tokyo, Japan are Sister Cities
What a great year 2017 has been for the Salem Ota Cultural Exchange! Here are some of the developments and highlights.
It will be a busy year!
The Middle School students from Ota will be with us July 22-30. We are lining up host families now so if you and your family want to be a part of this exciting, immersive week please fill in the survey now!
To complete the exchange, we are sending 11 high school students from Salem to Japan in August.
We will host adults from Ota this Fall. We will be looking for adult hosts for 2 nights. Keep an eye out for those sign-ups in late spring.
In addition, we will host Assemblymen from Ota in the fall.
The 2018 scholarship application is now live and accepting applications. If you know seniors in high school who participated in the Exchange with us, please let them know! The deadline is May 4th.
We are partnering with the Salem School Department and History Curriculum team leaders, with the help of the Peabody Essex Museum, to bring Dr. Edward Sylvester Morse and his achievements into Salem schools’ curriculum. The irrepressible Dr. Morse was a Director at the Essex Institute, now the Peabody Essex Museum and the catalyst of the work we continue today. A committee has now formed to support this endeavor. Please join us if you are interested!
Are you a High School senior heading to college and have been involved with the Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange as a host family, traveled abroad with us, or been involved with the organization in some other way? We offer a $500 scholarship to one lucky applicant a year: see if you qualify and apply!
Out tentative dates for the 2018 exchange program are July 22-30. Have a Middle Schooler (or upper elementary/young High Schooler?) and want to be a part of this rewarding cultural exchange? Fill out our host family contact form and we’ll contact you with details!
Thank you to all of the wonderful host families who gave the visiting students such a great experience this year. We know that they will carry their memories of Salem, and of you, with them forever. One of our host families created a website with all of the things they saw and did during their visit.
Have a middle school student and interested in joining the exchange? Learn how to become a host family for next year!
We would like to thank Odaiko New England who perform Taiko, exuberant and powerful Japanese drumming, at our farewell party at the Peabody Essex museum. Members of the club dug out their happi coats and summer kimonos and joined the communal Bon Odori dance and you can made uchiwa fans! We hope to do it again next summer!
We are delighted to announce that in October, 2016, the Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange was awarded theJohn E. Thayer, III Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cultural Exchange between the United States and Japan given by The Japan society of Boston. This prestigious award represents the incredible partnership and the cross-cultural understanding between the people of Ōta City, Tokyo, Japan and Salem, Massachusetts. We have been exchanging school-aged children and adults continuously for 25 years while creating rewarding and lasting friendships.
On behalf of the Board, Members, and exchange students of The Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange, I welcome you to our website. The Salem-Ota site is designed to offer the community a snapshot of the Sister-City programs and cultural exchange opportunities that are available to students and adults.
Whether you want to learn more about our travel programs, what happens on homestay visits, or if you want to catch up on our fundraising activities and programs, we hope that this site fulfills your needs.
Present students and their parents, as well as alumni visitors and friends should access the Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange page to stay current with events and activities. To gain information regarding the Sister-City agreement, our Mission, or other background information please visit the About Us page. For schedules and information during homestay weeks, please see the Adult Visit or Student Visit pages. To catch-up with on-going monthly meetings, the opportunities to donate or participate in fundraisers, or to view photo’s of past events, please explore the Events tab and Photo Gallery.
We hope that you will find everything you need. Thank you for showing an interest in supporting an ongoing relationship with the wonderful people of Ota-Ku, Tokyo.
Sincerely,
Erin V. Dolan
S-O C.E. President