Portsmouth prepares receptions, gifts and bell‑ringing for visiting Nishinan delegation

Portsmouth’s sister-city volunteers and city staff outlined a program of receptions, tours and a bell‑ringing ceremony for a visiting delegation from Nichinan, Japan, including a mayor’s reception on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 10:30 a.m. in the City Council Chambers.

Christine Friess, city representative and library director, read a letter from the mayor thanking the committee for its work and inviting members to a mayoral reception. The committee discussed a film screening on the Wednesday evening before the reception, a shipyard tour and visits to the John Paul Jones House and other local sites during the visit.

The delegation will take part in a bell‑ringing ceremony in Market Square on Friday at about 3:15 p.m., timed to a whistle from the shipyard; Mayor McEachern will read a proclamation, committee members said. Volunteers plan to provide small bells for attendees to ring and to present clocks and other gifts to the visiting officials. A donor has agreed to pay for clocks from the mayor’s discretionary fund, and committee volunteers are handling pickup and gift wrap logistics.

Committee organizers discussed cultural protocol for gift wrapping and packaging because the visitors will travel through customs. Joanna Diemer, who is coordinating logistics, will confirm bag sizes and coordinate pickup of the clocks. The committee also discussed creating a mayoral proclamation to honor Baron Komura and the sister-city anniversaries for presentation to the visiting mayor.

No formal votes were required; these items were discussed as event logistics and assigned to staff and volunteers. Committee members invited colleagues and community partners to attend the public events and agreed to finalize the reception program and gift table set-up in the coming weeks.