Hiratsuka 平塚市, Japan
The scenic seaside city of Hiratsuka (平塚市 pronounced “Hē-rah-tskah”) boasts a 2.5 mile coastline on the Sagami Bay of the Pacific Ocean, and is approximately one hour from Tokyo. Majestic Mount Fuji is approximately 35 miles away and easily visible. Hiratsuka was chartered as a city in 1889, but the area around Hiratsuka had been settled since prehistoric times. It is home to the Shonan-Hiratsuka campus of Kanagawa University. Every July, Hiratsuka’s 270,000 residents are joined by hundreds of tourists to celebrate the Tanabata Festival, which features brightly-colored decorations, lanterns, and food stalls.
Friends-of-Hiratsuka
This committee was formed to create the Sister Cities Agreement with Hiratsuka, Japan and to coordinate and support its activities. Current committee chair is James Hilliard (contact jamesiv at juno.com to volunteer for committee work). Volunteers are encouraged to help develop any of the activities described below, or to realize new possibilities. Read the Hiratsuka/Lawrence timeline or visit Lawrence Sister Cities Hiratsuka on Facebook
The Agreement is Signed
Since our formal agreement, signed in September of 1990, this has been a dynamic relationshop. Many Lawrencians have benefitted from this program - including city officials, educators, students and their families, and those in a variety of professions. Even during the global COVID pandemic relationships were maintained ‘virtually’.
Our History
The Lawrence City Commission, headed by Mayor Sandy Praeger, appointed Marnie Argersinger and Carol Shankel to organize a sister cities steering committee in September 1986. The Commission asked them not only to study and recommend an organizational structure that could support sister city relationships but also to find a sister city in Japan. The necessary groundwork for this relationsahip was finalized by Carol Shankel and George Woodyard working with Hiratsuka city and Kanagawa University officials. Lawrence hosted the first delegation from Hiratsuka in Lawrence in February 1990.
Student Exchanges
Every year a youth group, grades 7-12, is organized to spend ten days in Hiratsuka. Applicants must write an essay and submit a letter of recommendation by early fall. Here is the 2025 application packet (pdf).
Those selected must attend “Saturday school” sessions to prepare for the trip. They learn some language and culture while developing projects on cultural topics.
The summer trip to Japan lasts about 10 days; it includes staying in a dormitory first, then staying with a family for a weekend, visiting schools, museums, and other points of interest. The students are accompanied by one or two chaperones.
A few weeks after returning home the student and their family reciprocate by hosting their Hiratsuka partner for about ten days in Lawrence. They visit schools, the University of Kansas campus, and are welcomed by the mayor and city officials at City Hall. 2025 Hiratsuka application packet
Internships
Several city interns from Hiratsuka have spent up to a year in Lawrence to study at the University of Kansas and intern with Lawrence City staff. Firefighters from Hiratsuka have also trained with Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical staff.
Delegations
Every five years Friends of Hiratsuka celebrates the Sister City anniversary by sending a delegation to Japan, and in turn hosting their delegation here. These visits strengthen ties between residents and institutions. The pattern was disrupted by Covid for the 30th anniversary, but meeting online was a satisfactory substitute. Plans are being developed for the 35th anniversary celebration in 2025.
Resources
