By Brett Callwood
As reported in last week’s issue, a delegation from sister city Ichikawa, Japan arrived on Monday, July 21 and spent a few days enjoying Gardena.
Five officials were here until July 24, with 32 baseball team members staying for an extra day. The city scheduled a number of activities for the visitors; on the Monday, there was a Welcome Dinner at Pollo Inka. On Wednesday, July 23, there was a Sister City and Parks and Recreation Day Celebration, held at City Hall. That included a Sister City Goodwill Baseball Classic.
Audra Lowe, the City of Gardena’s communications officer said that, “The visit over the past week with our sister city was awesome. Overall, it was a great experience and a memorable visit. This was the first time the adults and the kids participated together, in the past it was either the adults visiting or the kids never the two together participating like this. They were greeted at LAX and driven to City Hall for what was supposed to be a quick drive by, but instead they were surprised by a crowd of greeters waving Japanese flags. They decided to stop and get out to say hello and the kids took the time to run and play on the lawn of City Hall.”
Director of Recreation & Human Services Stephany Santin added that, “We had the honor of hosting the Ichikawa Delegation and their baseball team, showcasing our Gardena Willows, sharing a meal together at Dodger Stadium, and celebrating our partnership by renaming the baseball field at Freeman Park. The week concluded with a fun-filled day at Disneyland enjoyed by both baseball teams. The kids shared great experiences and memories that will hopefully continue the amazing partnership between Gardena and Ichikawa.”
Despite the fact that Gardena’s youth baseball team was beaten by their Ichikawa counterparts, Lowe said that it was still an enjoyable experience.
“The energy, not only with the players, was so high, and the same with the crowd,” she said. “We had a great turnout. The teams posed for pics with reps from both Japan and Gardena, showing the new baseball field name of the board behind them. The two Mayors were interviewed by ABC7 about the visit and game, then both Mayors had fun throwing the first pitch of each game. After the game the kids came together at Nakaoka Community Center and had dinner with one another. They all chatted and exchanged hats and jerseys. They all had a fantastic time and then the following day, went to Disneyland.”
“The Ichikawa team played well but we were also really proud of our young people and the coaches who volunteered their time leading up to the game,” added Mayor Tasha Cerda.
“They joked about how they had magic bats that helped them win,” said Santin. “It was great to see them have such a wonderful time despite the loss.”
Besides the game, there were plenty of Gardena sights for the visiting delegation to enjoy.
“The delegation was able to tour Nissin Foods and JCI while the kids spent the day at Santa Monica/ Universal City Walk and then headed to the Dodger Game,” said Lowe. “Overall, it was a fantastic week of fun and unforgettable memories for both cities. While they were here, their visits included a trip to the Willow Wetlands on Monday, and on Tuesday [there were tripos to the] JCI (Gardena Valley Japanese Cultural Institute), a Cup Noodles tour (met the CEO at the Gardena location), [and a] Dodger game (everyone went on the field and took a picture).
