Local hosts needed for visitors from Japan

The city of Birmingham is looking for local hosts for three visitors from its sister city in Ritto, Japan, for four nights in early September.

The program is part of the Michigan-Shiga Sister State Program (MSSSP) established in 1968. Shiga, a district located on Japan's largest lake, shares a connection with Michigan and the Great Lakes.

Birmingham has welcomed more than 100 sister-city goodwill delegates through MSSSP’s goodwill missions since 2000. Past hosts have found this to be a rewarding experience, and a unique opportunity to share our Birmingham-American life with a visitor from over 6,500 miles away. The homestay program allows both parties to learn about the other's culture while gaining a deeper appreciation for our own community by seeing it through someone else's perspective.

The visitors – two students and an office worker – are part of a larger delegation from Japan’s Shiga Prefecture on a goodwill visit to experience Michigan’s culture from September 5 through 11. Other Michigan cities hosting citizens from their sister cities include Lansing (Otsu), Ann Arbor (Hikone), Grand Rapids (Omihachiman), Petoskey (Takashima) and Sault Ste. Marie (Ryuo).

The visitors to Birmingham will need homestay hosts for the nights of September 6, 7, 8 and 9. Hosts are also welcome to attend a farewell event in Lansing on September 10.

In addition to tourist attractions and activities, the delegates get to experience daily life firsthand through a homestay with a local host or host family.

Interested hosts can contact Christina Woods, city of Birmingham ]Human Resources Manager, for more information at cwoods@bhamgov.org, cwoods@bhamgov.org or 248.530.1824. People of all backgrounds who are sincerely interested in international exchange are encouraged to participate – the goodwill mission coordinators work to match people accordingly.