2008 Woodie Awards
Public Administration Club packs up for April tour of Kumamoto, Japan
Trip to sister city includes rededication of 400-year-old renovated Kumamoto Castle.
By D.J. Jimenez
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: Premiere
Originally published: 2/21/08 at 6:09 PM CSTLast update: 2/21/08 at 7:59 PM CST
The college's Public Administration Club is going to be packing a few extra bags this coming April.
Flying on behalf of San Antonio, the Public Administration Club will be touching down in sister city Kumamoto, Japan, April 18 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Kumamoto Castle.
The Kumamoto Castle rededication ceremony will be April 20.
Kumamoto Castle was constructed by the Kato Clan in 1607.
In 1877, Kumamoto Castle became the site of Japan's last civil war, when an army of former samurai under Saigo Takamori unsuccessfully rose against the new Meiji government.
Large parts of the castle were destroyed in that civil war.
On the occasion of the castle's 400th anniversary, the Honmaru Goten, the former palace building in the castle's innermost citadel, is being reconstructed, and is scheduled to open to the public in spring of 2008.
Formally invited along with District 1 Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros, the Public Administration Club will be accompanied by Seishi Koyama, mayor of Kumamoto.
The club will be given a personal tour of an assortment of places, such as Japanese universities.
Fine arts sophomore Stephen Reyna said, "The Public Administration Club is actively coordinating workshops so that introductions to culture and language are studied before we depart. We understand that there will be cultural barriers to overcome."
Of course, this opportunity would not have been possible without the Sister Cities program.
Created in 1956 during the Eisenhower presidency, the Sister Cities international program began to promote people-to-people citizen diplomacy in the hope of improving foreign relations.
A few years later in 1987, San Antonio established the International Affairs Department Japan-Texas Office.
Since then, the office has been working with its sister city Kumamoto to attract Japanese cultural understanding, trade and foreign investment to the United States.
Flying on behalf of San Antonio, the Public Administration Club will be touching down in sister city Kumamoto, Japan, April 18 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Kumamoto Castle.
The Kumamoto Castle rededication ceremony will be April 20.
Kumamoto Castle was constructed by the Kato Clan in 1607.
In 1877, Kumamoto Castle became the site of Japan's last civil war, when an army of former samurai under Saigo Takamori unsuccessfully rose against the new Meiji government.
Large parts of the castle were destroyed in that civil war.
On the occasion of the castle's 400th anniversary, the Honmaru Goten, the former palace building in the castle's innermost citadel, is being reconstructed, and is scheduled to open to the public in spring of 2008.
Formally invited along with District 1 Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros, the Public Administration Club will be accompanied by Seishi Koyama, mayor of Kumamoto.
The club will be given a personal tour of an assortment of places, such as Japanese universities.
Fine arts sophomore Stephen Reyna said, "The Public Administration Club is actively coordinating workshops so that introductions to culture and language are studied before we depart. We understand that there will be cultural barriers to overcome."
Of course, this opportunity would not have been possible without the Sister Cities program.
Created in 1956 during the Eisenhower presidency, the Sister Cities international program began to promote people-to-people citizen diplomacy in the hope of improving foreign relations.
A few years later in 1987, San Antonio established the International Affairs Department Japan-Texas Office.
Since then, the office has been working with its sister city Kumamoto to attract Japanese cultural understanding, trade and foreign investment to the United States.
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