Salem Massachusetts, USA and Ota Tokyo, Japan are Sister Cities
Are you a senior going to college who has participated in The Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange? We have an opportunity for you!
What has this program meant to you? Tell us about your involvement in the program hosting a middle-schooler, or traveling to Japan with us or both. How have you been impacted? The form is available below. A panel will select the winning applicant who will receive a $500 scholarship.
Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 3rd, 2019
Out tentative dates for the 2019 exchange program are July 21-29. 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!
Edward Sylvester Morse is the key to the Salem-Ota sister city relationship. While living in Japan, member Hugh Stewart also became a member of the Ota Salem Club in Ota, and was invited to participate in a ceremony by the E.S.Morse Commemorative Society last summer. There he met Masaru Akisawa san. He created, with others, a PowerPoint show and book about the life of Morse. It is copyrighted and in Japanese. However, he elected to create an English story of Morse for our use. Please have a look and enjoy!
Episode I:
Episode II:
Please join us, along with our Japanese visitors from Ota, for a special members-only showing of the movie Paper Lanterns at the Peabody Essex Museum’s Morse Theater.
PAPER LANTERNS tells the little-known story of twelve American prisoners-of-war killed by the atomic bomb at Hiroshima and Mr. Shigeaki Moril, a hibakuisha or A-bomb victim, who devoted nearly forty years to researching their fates and reaching out to their families across the United States. Mr. Mori was personally thanked by President Barack Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Park on May 27, 2016. The picture of their embrace was immediately featured by news media around the world and has since become an iconic image of Japan-U.S. reconciliation. The film has been shown with great success at international film festivals, at many venues in Japan and the U.S., and at the United Nations.
The Salem- Ota Cultural Exchange is delighted to welcome the film’s director Barry Frechette to the screening to share with us his stories about the making of the film.
Please visit our evite page to RSVP! http://evite.me/
To residents of Salem and friends of the Salem-Ota Cultural Exchange:
It gives us great pleasure to offer you an invitation to join us on a trip to Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan this July.
This incredible 15-day excursion includes a 1-night homestay and travel throughout Japan with Tokyo residents and members of our club. This is not a typical bus tour!
Because of the wonderful relationship between our two cities, we are able to offer this opportunity to adults who reside or work in Salem (and if you choose, a non-resident traveling companion.)
The cost of the trip will be approximately $3,800 per person which includes round trip airfare, lodging, all ground transportation, and meals.
Spots fill early so if you are interested or have questions, mail Peter Dolan, trip organizer, by October 11, 2018. Travel dates are tentatively July 1st- July 15th, 2019.
I hope that you can join us. Please do not miss the chance of a lifetime!
Another exchange has gone by, and we’ve said our goodbyes to new friends. The students and teachers departed from Boston Logan Airport safely this morning and are on their way back to Ota!
Hello host families, Here is:
-a draft schedule which will be updated daily (Pick-up times are always subject to change because of Boston traffic)
-sign-up sheets for the many things we need you for
-a spot for head counts.
Questions text/call Denise 978-587-5649 or denise@granniss.com
Sign-Up Genius
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F44AFA62FA2FB6-student
| Date | Time | What | Where | Bring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 30 | 8:15 am | Drop-off and Goodbye to our students | PEM | Bring tissues and all their belongings! |
We look forward to seeing you Tuesday Night at the Welcome Party at The House of the Seven Gables at 5pm. If you have any questions on the revised schedule, please email/text Denise. Thanks!
The students arrive in on July 21st and will be staying in Boston that evening, and will meet their host families on July 22 in the afternoon at the House of the Seven gables. Their week will be filled with fun, learning experiences and the warm welcome of their Salem families. We will bid them goodbye on July 31, after which they will spend another (short) evening in Boston before flying home on August 1!