Ten students from Dubbo recently experienced a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Japan as a part of the Dubbo Regional Council’s (DRC) Sister City Exchange Program. 

The program, at its heart, embraces the differences between the sister cities, and provides a life-changing opportunity to live in the shoes of a local, deeply exploring the culture on a personal level unlike tourism. It allows students to gain an open-minded perspective of the world and enjoy a new and exciting way of life. 

The students spent nine days in Minokamo, Dubbo’s Sister City, a three-and-a-half hour train ride southwest from Tokyo. They attended a number of activities, including time in three different high schools, exploring cultural icons Inuyama Castle and Shogen-Ji Temple, as well as River Port Park, an Australian-themed outdoors park. They also spent time in Tokyo, complete with extensive tours of the beautiful city and an enjoyable day at Tokyo Disneyland. 

The students were accompanied by chaperones Kim Rice-Harland and Stuart Harland, who said the highlight was the time spent in Minokamo.

“The Minokamo Community really opened up their homes and hearts to accommodate us. Visiting the schools and being able to participate in the class with the Japanese students was so rewarding. Playing softball, conducting science experiments and learning social studies in Japanese was so much fun. The changing of footwear from outdoor shoes to inside shoes, to toilet shoes to sport shoes throughout the day was a very unique aspect of Japanese school life,” said Kim and Stuart. 

DRC’s Sister City Officer Daisy Wang said that the Sister City Exchange Program is a great opportunity for high school students to explore another country and appreciate different cultures in an increasingly interconnected world.

“The exchange program has been running for several years now, and the feedback from the student participants, chaperones and wider community has been fantastic. The opportunity to explore a different part of the world and a different culture is something that I’d encourage all students to apply for,” said Ms Wang.

DRC's Sister City Exchange Program will run again in 2024, and residents can email Daisy at daisy.wang@dubbo.nsw.gov.au to ensure they are notified of when applications open.