Posted on

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.

Posted on

New CIR Departs for Nanae! Changes due for ConcordNanae.org

Dear fans and followers of The Concord-Nanae Connection:

As many of you know, Concord and Nanae are proud to have appointed Mr. Nick Ferbert as their new Coordinator of International Relations. After being officially sworn into office at the Concord Town House last Saturday, Nick will return to Nanae this afternoon with the members of the 2012 Sister City 15th Anniversary delegation. The delegates included Nanae Mayor Yasukazu Nakamiya, 5 members of the Nanae Town Assembly including Chair Yuichi Yokota, and Nanae’s Advisor to the CIR Ms. Emi Kimura. They are set to arrive in Nanae on Thursday morning Japan time.

It’s my pleasure to announce that Nick is planning to continue working on this website in addition to his other duties as CIR. Nick brings an excellent new set of skills, including a keen business sense, to the Concord-Nanae sister city relationship, and I’m very pleased to leave control of this website in his capable hands. It’s also worth noting that he’ll probably be much larger asset to the local basketball team than I was. Alongside 6’6″ Concord ALT Ben Haydock (CCHS ’07), Concord’s presence on the courts in Nanae will surely become a formidable force.

Dr. Nurenberg (middle) plays the taiko in Nanae

With all this in mind, please note that the appearance of ConcordNanae.org may change in the coming weeks and months as we start accepting content from multiple authors. I’m particularly excited to welcome two new authors to the site: Dr. David Nurenberg, who is the faculty advisor to the Concord-Carlisle Sci-Fi Club, and Koji Matsuyama, who advises the Nanae High School English Club.

Dr. Nurenberg is Concord’s official Sister School Coordinator, and leads the CCHS Sci-Fi Club on official visits to Nanae almost every year.  Koji Matsuyama-sensei just finished his first visit to Concord this week, and his

Koji Matsuyama-sensei

strong background in media will undoubtedly become a great asset as we develop new paths for communication between Sci-Fi and English Club students and our communities at large.

I hope you all can share in my excitement for the future of this website, Nick’s work as CIR, and the development of the Concord-Nanae sister city relationship. It has been a pleasure helping it change and grow these last 2 years.

Ever forward,

Ben Mirin

CIR 2010-2012

Posted on

Fall 2012 Delegation Arrives!

After a trying evening of delays, missed flights, and an overnight in Chicago, Nanae’s 2012 Fall delegation made it safely to Concord yesterday! Tonight we will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of our sister city relationship. Watch our Flickr Photostream for photographs from the celebration and the dinner, and, Wi-Fi permitting, TUNE IN at 4:00PM Eastern Standard Time for a live video covering the Mayor’s presentation at the Concord Town House!

-Former CIR Ben Mirin

The Live Video:

Posted on

Impressions of CCHS: Nanae HS English Club

By Ben Mirin, CIR, on ConcordNanae.org and via Qik Live video

Last Friday, I showed this movie (in Japanese) to this year’s English Club at Nanae High School.  Produced by Nanae student delegates who visited Concord in 2010, the movie documents Japanese middle- and high-school student observations about Concord-Carlisle High School, where the delegates spent a week attending classes, touring the campus, and experiencing American high school life.

After showing the movie I asked our English Club students to identify differences they noticed in the video between CCHS and their own NHS.

If you’re a Concord student and you’ve been to Nanae, post some of your reactions after reading in the comment section below, or post them on our Facebook Page ! What was different about Nanae High School from CCHS?

Here’s what the Nanae students said:

Takanori Abe (2nd-year student, Class 2, 2011 Band Delegate to Concord):

It’s interesting that the bell at CCHS marks the end of class.  I was very surprised.  In Japan, the bell marks the start of class.

Chinami Takada (1st-year student), Akira Kimura (1st-year student, Class 3), & Shiori Wada (3rd-year student):

There is a big cafeteria in CCHS, but we have no cafeteria in our high school.  Students in Concord also have no school uniform, just like university students in Japan.

Ayu Kosugi (3rd-year student):

Students in Concord can use computers freely at any time.  We cannot.

Generally, I think CCHS is bigger than Nanae High School.

Continue reading “Impressions of CCHS: Nanae HS English Club”

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.