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Sister Cities Bonus Episode feat. Koji Teraya (Big T)

With this final video, I am pleased to pass administration of this website to the new Coordinator of International Relations, Mr. Nick Ferbert.  Check back in a couple weeks and say “Hi!” to Nick by visting and Liking the new Meet the CIR Page, and make sure to comment on his articles!

I am grateful to Nick and to all the members of the Concord-Nanae community for their continued investment in this website and their demonstrated interest in its content.  I hope it will serve all of you as a valuable tool for communication between our sister cities for many years to come.

For links to my information, please visit the Previous CIRs Page.  To keep up with my new adventures, visit my personal website, benmirin.com, or follow me on Twitter @benmirin.

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Sister Cities Ep 9: Looking Back (Part 1)

Produced by Nanae International Relations and Domestic Affairs
Directed by the CIR

This is part 1 of the final interview for the Sister City Series, with Azuma Miyata, Chief of Nanae Town’s General Affairs Section and the leader of the largest delegation ever to visit Concord. Enjoy, and stay tuned for part 2 next week!

Please consider leaving a comment on this post in the comment section below, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

To submit suggestions for future content, please email concordnanae@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting ConcordNanae.org.

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Sister Cities Ep. 6 Full Translation

Produced by Nanae International Relations and Domestic Affairs
Directed by the CIR

Here, for now, is the final version of Episode 6, with Japanese translation. Please enjoy revisiting the highlights of this episode while we continue working through the glitches currently delaying the production of Episode 8!

Please consider leaving a comment on this post in the comment section below, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

To submit suggestions for future content, please email concordnanae@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting ConcordNanae.org.

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Sister Cities Ep.7: Community Concert w/ Katsuyuki Onodera

By Ben Mirin, CIR

It’s Golden Week in Japan, which means our posting schedule is a little irregular.  The cherry blossoms are finally emerging all over Nanae, and the weather accurately reflects the time of year.

Happy Spring!

Please consider leaving a comment on this post in the comment section below, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

To submit suggestions for future content, please email concordnanae@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting ConcordNanae.org.

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Sister Cities Ep 7 Sneak Peek

By Ben Mirin, CIR

September 25th, 2011: An interview shot during last year’s historic community concert between the Nanae and Concord-Carlisle High School bands. Featuring Susan Erickson and Robin Cicchetti

Stay tuned for the next episode, in which I’ll sit down with beloved Nanae Band Director, Katsuyuki Onodera-sensei. We’ll be talking about the concert, and enjoying a special backstage interview with CCHS Band Director, Al Dentino!

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Sister Cities Ep 6: Dances and Barbecues

By Ben Mirin, CIR

For now, please enjoy the purely English version of this week’s episode.  We’re a little behind in the subtitles, and will upload the final version (with Japanese subs) as soon as possible.

I had a lot of fun making this.  Hope you have fun watching.
Interviewees: Sae Tamura, Hitomi Shihoya, and Riho Ahiko

Please consider leaving a comment on this post in the comment section below, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

To submit suggestions for future content, please email concordnanae@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting ConcordNanae.org.

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Sister Cities Ep 5 Minuteman Park with Akiko Tsushima

By Ben Mirin, CIR

Some fun facts:

  1. (Video time: 04:01): Akamatsukaido (Red Pine Street) is Nanae’s central road.  Its name honors the majestic Japanese Red Pines that line both sides for several kilometers.  The trees were planted for two respective visits from the Emperor Meiji, in 1876 and 1881.  Although nonnative to Hokkaido, some 1200 to 1300 trees still stand today.  These trees are featured in “This is Nanae!”, a documentary by former CIR, Bobby Kargula.
  2. (04:13) Nanamitsuki: Nana, meaning seven, refers to Nanae.  Mitsu refers to the sweet, golden flesh at the center of certain apple varieties, such as the Red Gold.