No.151 Foster City Little League (FCLL) comes to Ina

On August 3rd, a total of 41 people, including Little League players (12 boys ages 10 to 12) and 29 managers, coaches, and parents from our sister city, Foster City, visited Inagi City.
　
Our exchange with Foster City began in August 2015, when I visited Foster City with two accompanying staff members as part of an inspection tour aimed at establishing a sister city relationship. In January 2017, three members of the Inagi City Overseas Sister City Citizens' Council and one accompanying staff member visited the site, and in October 2019, Steve Okamoto, a former Foster City city council member who was eager to establish a sister city relationship with our city, and his wife visited Ina for the Citizens' Festival.
　
Since establishing a sister city partnership in July 2021, a delegation of 33 members from the Foster City Sister City Association visited Inagi in October 2022, and in December of the same year, David Saito, chairman of the Foster City Sister City Association, stopped by Inagi during his visit to Japan to discuss future exchanges between children. In February of last year, a tour organized by the Inagi Sister City Association was held, and 11 Inagi residents, including myself, visited Foster City.
　
After these adult exchanges, a boys' and girls' soccer team was welcomed in July of last year, realizing the first step in the original goal of international exchange between children from the two cities.
　
This visit by the FCLL to Ina is the second such visit. Both Steve Okamoto, the first chairman of the exchange association, and Sanjay Gehani, the former mayor who accompanied them on this trip, are baseball players and teach baseball to children. Sports are popular in both cities, but baseball in particular is a major sport in America, and it is no exaggeration to say that it is the national sport. Both of them had a strong desire to have an exchange, so I am very happy that their dream has finally come true.
　
The FCLL delegation came to Japan individually, gathered on August 2nd to watch the Giants game at Tokyo Dome, and then arrived in Inagi City at noon on the 3rd, where we held a welcome reception at the Regional Promotion Plaza.
　
Former Mayor Sanjay Gehani gave a speech in Japanese, and FCLL players also gave short speeches in Japanese. 13 elementary and junior high school students from Inagi City welcomed the team with a welcome speech in English, and after exchanging gifts, the Inagi Boys and Girls Choir presented a Japanese song.
　
That evening, the FCLL group took part in the Daimaru Bon Odori dance, enjoying traditional Japanese culture.
　
On the 4th, at the gymnasium of Inagi Dairoku Elementary School, players from both FCLL and Inagi Little received special coaching from the Yomiuri Giants Academy, and in the afternoon an exchange match was held at the Inagi Little Grounds, which I also had the opportunity to watch.
　
The pitcher for FCLL is the son of Sanjay Gehani, a sixth grader, but he is about 170cm tall, and the other players are also junior high school students. There is a big difference in physique between them and the Inagi Little players, but the strike zone is quite narrow for FCLL, and it seemed like it would be difficult to pitch. Immediately after the game started, the Inagi Little kids were nervous and couldn't make plays that would lead to points, but as they got used to it, I think it became a good game. It was a fun baseball vs. baseball game to watch.
　
In the evening, the FCLL group went to Giants Stadium to watch the Eastern League game against the Giants.
　
On the 5th, the last day of their stay in Inagi, they played a Japan-US mixed exchange game at Inagi Little Ground in the morning. The previous day's exchange game ended in a dramatic fashion. Inagi Little was leading by two points, 6-4, in the bottom of the final inning, but FCLL had the bases loaded with no outs, and it was a desperate situation for Inagi Little. When the next three batters were retired and the game was over, the FCLL players shed tears of frustration.
　
However, at the final Japan-US mixed exchange match, they were able to say goodbye on friendly terms and it became a fond memory for both sides.
　
After the final match, a luncheon was held in the restaurant of the gymnasium, followed by a farewell party in the meeting room, and then we saw them off on the bus for the journey home.
　
As for exchanges from next year onwards, there are plans for a short-term homestay program for Inagi high school students, and we hope that one day baseball and soccer teams will be able to travel to the United States to play against children from Foster City.