Dailan city Acacia Festival

In 1998, KIS participated in the trip to Dailan for the first time. Three people from KIS joined the delegation, one from the executive, and two members.

They departed on May 22^nd, from Sendai airport, and stayed the night in Beijing. The next day, before they left for Dailan, they visited the Former Imperial Palace, and the Great Wall of China. The night-view of Dailan isn't very dazzling, but with the towering skyscrapers and superhighways, it is a spectacularly modern city.

On May 24^th, the 'Dailan Acacia Festival' began, and after the opening ceremonies, they watched a traditional Chinese performance; many people were flying kites, and there was a large display of elementary and junior high school students' calligraphy. In the evening, there was a banquet for all the foreigners in attendance. All were amazed by the scale of the firework display.

The next day, they visited a junior high school in the city. Speaking Japanese with students who were studying Japanese, all agreed that their Japanese was excellent. Afterwards, they travelled to 'Plateau 203,' near Port Arthur. This was a key point in the Japanese-Soviet war.

The Dailan Acacia festival is much bigger than the one in Kosaka, but we hope it will be a strong bond which will provide the foundation for a lasting friendship between Kosaka and Dailan.