The Torrance City Council welcomed a delegation of eight students and an adult leader from Kashiwa, Japan, who are visiting Torrance through the Torrance Sister City Association’s Student Cultural Exchange program.

Karen Wheeler, president of the Torrance Sister City Association, introduced the group. The adult leader, Kayoko Yamazawa, noted a family connection to the original sister-city agreement: “My grandfather was the mayor of Kashiwa who signed the sister city agreement between Torrance and Kashiwa 52 years ago,” she said.

Students introduced themselves and described goals for the visit, including learning about American schools and culture, visiting local sites such as Madrona Marsh and the La Brea Tar Pits, attending a Dodgers game and Disneyland, and staying with host families. The visiting group arrived Aug. 4 and will depart Aug. 21.

The council recognized the exchange with a brief presentation and a group photo; the program is ongoing and runs on a multi-decade exchange relationship between Torrance and Kashiwa that began in 1973.