Schoolchildren in Abashiri, Japan celebrate sister city milestone with City of Port Alberni
Published 5:30 pm Saturday, May 30, 2026
Alexandra (Alex) Godfrey from Vancouver Island is in Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan, teaching with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. She is working with six junior/ middle schools, and on May 10 one of her classes celebrated Port Alberni and Canada.
Abashiri and Port Alberni are celebrating 40 years of a sister city relationship. Here is Alex Godfrey’s account of her class’s event.
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On Sunday, May 10, 2026, Abashiri City hosted the first of several events being held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its sister city relationship with Port Alberni. Both coastal cities are home to strong fishing industries, renowned natural landscapes, and welcoming tourism cultures.
As a Canadian currently living and working in Abashiri, I was recently invited to host some activities at the event last Sunday. I grew up in Nanaimo, about a one-hour drive from Port Alberni, and was happy to represent my Island at the event.
Twenty-seven children signed up for the event, ranging from 6 to 14 years of age. Inside, the four-tree flag of Port Alberni hung next to the Canadian flag. Many parents stayed around to chat and ask about my experiences growing up in Canada. One of the moms in attendance had spent some time living in France, and I was able to speak to her in French.
You never know what connections you might find across the ocean, deep within another culture.
During the event, I quizzed the children on iconic Canadian paraphernalia, to which they delightedly identified maple syrup, and debated over the translation of “loon” into Japanese.
I then presented on elementary school life in Canada. I discussed some of the differences between the two, such as school lunches, and introduced the students to iconically Canadian experiences like the Terry Fox run.
Before the event ended, the students made self introduction posters, and I learned of their interests in Minecraft, Scratch programming, and Sanrio’s Cinnamoroll (a chubby, white fluffy puppy that is Cafe Cinnamon’s mascot), three things that many Canadian students would enjoy as well.
Over the years, Abashiri and Port Alberni have shared many events, such as student exchanges. Just last year, four middle school students from Abashiri went to Port Alberni on an intercultural visit coordinated and chaperoned by Abashiri City Hall. The next event will take place on May 31, mirrored by the Abashiri Day event in Port Alberni on May 30.
Through my experiences on this project, I can feel the deep connection and pride that Abashiri takes in its sister city relationship to Port Alberni. I wish these two cities another 40 years of flourishing intercultural exchange.