Aspen Sister Cities celebrates 30th anniversary in Shimukappu, Japan
Junki Otani/Courtesy photo
Last week, delegates from the Aspen Sister Cities program, including Mayor Torre and Council member Ward Hauenstein, traveled to Shimukappu, Japan, for a 30th anniversary celebration that was put on hold in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to delegates and Aspen Council members, the anniversary overlapped with the Sister Cities student exchange with Shimukappu. Eighth-grade students from Aspen Middle School, Aspen Country Day School, and Aspen Community School, along with Aspen chaperones, were also in attendance for the week’s long celebration.
The Aspen Sister Cities was started in 1966 with Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, being the first city within the program. In 1985, the Aspen Sister Cities Committee was then formed by Mayor Bill Stirling along with the Aspen City Council.
Aspen and Shimukappu officially became sister cities in 1991. Prior to becoming official sister cities, in 1988, Shimukappu’s Mayor Kanon set up a student exchange with Aspen. And since that time a group of five eighth-grade students from both cities, along with two chaperones, have visited one another for a 10-day educational and cultural exchange on a yearly basis.
In addition to Shimukappu and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Aspen has five other sister cities: Abetone, Italy; Bariloche, Argentina; Chamonix, France; Davos, Switzerland; and Queenstown, New Zealand. Student exchange programs are offered for middle school students in Italy, Argentina, and France, with high school programs being offered in Germany and New Zealand.
“I so appreciate the exchanges; it’s the exchange of culture, it’s the exchange of ideas, the exchange of information, it’s the exchange of support,” said Mayor Torre. “Sister Cities’ mission is about promoting peace, understanding, and goodwill through these exchanges in these Sister Cities relationships. I can’t say enough about how I believe it to be a really important and helpful organization and relationship and what we get out of it is really to our community’s benefit.”
Shimukappu is a rural village located on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, with an estimated population of roughly 1,200. Much like Aspen, Shimukappu is also nestled within mountains and enjoys similar seasons, with colorful foliage in the fall and deep snow in the winter.
Additionally, the two communities are also similar in the fact that they’re both recognized as international ski resorts, which Shimukappu is through one of its township villages, Tomamu.
While Aspen students spent the week with their host families, the official 30th anniversary was celebrated on Monday, Oct. 23, at Shimukappu’s City Hall. Aspen Mayor Torre met with the city’s Mayor, Masaharu Tanaka. The celebration featured a presentation on the history of the two cities’ long standing relationship, followed by a Koto performance by former Aspen Sister Cities English teachers Molly Stern and Ben Belinski.
Shimukappu community members and students gave various performances, along with Aspen students singing a song by John Denver. There was also a presentation of certificates, where Aspen Sister Cities board member and city chair for Davos, Switzerland, Karingo Devore received a certificate as being one of the founder members of the program.
“I’ve been to most of our Sister Cities, and they’re all just incredibly wonderful, but I think I might be a bit partial to Japan because the Japanese, especially the people in Shimukappu, are beyond gracious and generous and kind and empathetic, they’re amazing,” Devore said. “In all of our Sister Cities, we have wonderful relationships, but Shimukappu is sort of extraordinary. After 30 years, we have quite a close relationship.”
Aspen delegates and students also got a chance to visit Shimukappu’s ski resort, Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, hosted by the resort’s general manager. Lastly, delegates also traveled to Sapporo to meet with the Hokkaido Vice Governor Usamu Takai with speeches provided by Mayor Torre, as well as Aspen Sister Cities President Jill Sheeley, who has been active with the program since 1992.
“I just can’t tell you how important it is to see these kids go to another country and be welcomed the way that these cities welcome them, bring them into their homes, and then teach them their culture,” she said. “People become families in a week; it’s just really an amazing experience. Our committee is incredibly devoted to what we do, and I’m super proud of every single person on our board and committee because it’s a lot of work for a little town to have seven Sister Cities. But I think that we organize it, we get along really well and I think it shows. We love what we do; if we’re in it for this many years, you can tell the level of passion that we have.”
To reach Jonson Kuhn, email him at jkuhn@aspentimes.com.
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