ArtSpace/Lima executive director Sally Windle shows a gallery to the delegation from Harima-cho, Japan, during their Sister City visit Monday morning.
Jacob Espinosa | The Lima News
LIMA — Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith had not met with representatives from sister city Harima-cho, Japan, since visiting the town last year.
That changed Monday morning, as the city received several delegates from the town and guided them through a tour and meeting at ArtSpace/Lima for the 25th anniversary of the relationship.
“I hope the delegation got an opportunity to see all the revitalization happening in the downtown area,” Smith said. “I hope they saw the really unique ways both Lima and Harima-cho are alike and that they also get to go out and interact with people while they are here.”
Harima-cho deputy mayor Yuji Hirano said, through an interpreter, he was glad to resume face-to-face interactions and excited to see Lima’s historic buildings preserved.
“I’m really interested in the recycling of these old buildings because in Japan, they’ll just tear down old buildings and make new ones,” he said.
Matthew Neeley, president of the Lima Sister Cities Association, said he hoped the delegates took away how welcoming the city is.
“We love when we are able to host them just because they love to host us,” he said. “We’re just sharing our community and without our community, we wouldn’t have this relationship.”
Smith said she saw similarities in the two cities, which each have heavy manufacturing-based economies, and said it was a good opportunity to compare notes and share ideas.
“Part of the tour our delegation is having today will take them to one of our manufacturers to see the engine that keeps our economy going,” she said. “We’re also similar in terms of population with around 35,000 residents in both towns, but we also have that small-town feel.”
The delegation visited Vibe Coffeehouse and Cafe, as well as ArtSpace and will tour the Ford plant before finishing the evening at tonight’s city council meeting.
“I want to give thanks for this 25-year relationship with Lima,” Hirano said. “For the next 25 years, what kind of interaction are we going to continue with? That’s what I want to discuss. I want to discuss the future with the people involved in this and the children who are going to be involved in the relationship.”
For more information on the Lima Sister Cities Association, visit bit.ly/408nWqI.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
