Setagaya Committee
Do you know Setagaya City in Tokyo?
It’s the largest city in Tokyo and has some connections and many things in common with Arlington.
Both have similar geographical size, are near the national capitol, have unique, great neighborhoods, and a good reputation for education. Also, the Arlington Career Center (Arlington Tech HS) is the sister school of Tokyo Metropolitan Engei High School in Setagaya. That school, with beautiful gardens on former castle grounds, has many working horticulture, food science and animal husbandry programs. The only one original dogwood tree, which was given by President Taft to the Tokyo government as a return gift for the Cherry Blossom trees in DC, is on the campus of Engei HS. Setagaya City is also the host town of Team USA, American athletes, for Tokyo Olympics to be held now in 2021.
We’ve started an online culture and language exchange among youth in Arlington and Setagaya during the pandemic and continue to hold it once a month. It includes showing sites and making quizzes about our respective communities and major holidays and customs.
Setagaya-Arlington : Bring Two Cities Together
Source: Prefectures Grading Research and other websites.
About Arlington
How much do you know about Arlington, VA? Did you know that Arlington is ranked the No. 1 best city to live in the U.S. (according to 2020 rankings from Niche.com)? Can you name a famous landmark located in the county? Can you guess how many universities are there?
Sister Schools
Arlington Career Center (ACC) and Tokyo Metropolitan Engei High School in Japan have affirmed a Sister School Agreement in 2018 to promote understanding, friendship, global education, and international exchange programs between the two schools. Engei High School representatives also came to participate in SJA’s Japan Day on March 31, 2019.
Sakura and Hanamizuki -Cherries and Dogwoods
As you know, the cherry trees were given from Tokyo to Washington, DC in 1912. But did you know that the dogwood, which is the state flower of Virginia, was sent to Tokyo by President Taft three years later in reciprocation? Currently, only one of the original dogwoods is still surviving on the grounds of Tokyo Metropolitan Engei High School in Setagaya. At the centennial celebration in 2015, the US ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, planted additional dogwoods as a gift.
Fun Fact! Japan and US Postal service collaborated in making the commemorative postage stamps, which is the first design collaboration between the two countries.
Photo and source: nippon.com
Language and Culture Exchange
Join us at this monthly free event: Language and culture Exchange with Setagaya, Tokyo, by Zoom. You can practice Japanese and help Japanese to practice English.
About Setagaya
Have you heard about Setagaya before? Intrigued by the beckoning cats (maneki-neko)? Find out more about their birthplace and more enchanting charms of Setagaya.
Setagaya-Arlington: Language and Culture Exchange
Are you interested in Japan? Are you studying Japanese or want to communicate with Japanese students in Tokyo?
We’ll have a Language and culture Exchange with Setagaya, Tokyo, by Zoom. You can practice Japanese and help Japanese students to practice English. It’s a monthly event, and you can choose which date to register. Come for once or all four. It’s really flexible and each session is independently conclusive, so you do not have to worry about missing a session. We start a new session each month. It’s free!
Please sign up from the link below by two days before the session you would like to participate. We’ll provide you the zoom link.
What you’ll experience
– Practice conversational Japanese (beginners welcome)
– Learn local info
– Chance to get connected and make new friends
SETAGAYA
Setagaya is one of the most populated districts in Tokyo, and the second largest in the capital, yet it is also one of the quietest and most peaceful. Near the bustling neighborhoods of Harajuku and Shibuya, Setagaya is a haven of peace. It’s mainly a residential area, and a great place to take a walk to discover the charm of Japanese houses. At the heart of this district, trendy Shimo-Kitazawa remains an island of artistic expression.
You can also discover Kinuta Park, which is particularly beautiful during the seasons of hanami and koyo. If you’re traveling with children, Hanegi Park has one of the largest children’s playgrounds in Tokyo. And don’t miss Todoroki Keikoku, central Tokyo’s most unconventional green space, a forest-like park located in a ravine formed in the Yazawa riverbed. It isn’t far from Gotoku-ji temple, where the famous maneki-neko was born.
from Japan Experience (https://www.japan-experience.com)