On Aug. 14, Saratoga City Hall hosted a welcome reception for four Japanese exchange students from Muko and their four American exchange partners. The American students returned from Muko Aug. 5 after a 10-day stay in Japan. They are now hosting their Japanese partners in Saratoga.

Approximately 50 people attended the reception in the courtyard at the Saratoga Civic Center Complex. Mayor Kathleen King opened by welcoming the students and their host families. Pat Fasang, chairman of the Saratoga Sister City Organization, also gave a welcome speech.

Fasang became chairman of the Saratoga Sister City Organization this year. In previous years, two of his daughters visited Muko as part of the exchange program.

"The objective of the Saratoga Sister City Organization is to develop friendship between the two cities and among the young people," Fasang said.

After the reception, the students, their host families and members of the Saratoga Sister City Organization proceeded to Hakone Gardens for a luncheon.

During their stay in Saratoga, the four Japanese exchange students played miniature golf, visited Stanford University and spent a day each in San Francisco and Santa Cruz. They returned to Japan on Aug. 18.

Every year, the Saratoga Sister City Organization selects four high school students to spend approximately two weeks in Muko with a Japanese host family. The organization provides the students with a $1,000 scholarship to cover airfare. Host families provide meals and lodging. The American students take tours, participate in various activities and get to know their host families.

When the American students return to Saratoga, they bring their Japanese counterparts with them and the roles are reversed.

Gina Fu, 18, a recent graduate of Lynbrook High School, enjoyed her trip to Muko. Fu studied Japanese for three years and got the chance to hone her skills. "The host families are all kind and exciting people," she said. "I enjoyed laughing and conversing with my host family in Japanese as well as teaching them some English along the way."

Fu said she was able to overcome her initial hesitance to speak in Japanese with her exchange partner, bridging the communication gap to create some great friendships. She said she enjoyed the challenges and the independence that comes with traveling to another country. High-tech toilets, strange flavored fermented beans called nattou and crowded narrow roads were reminders that Japan was a country entirely different from her own.

"I also cherished the moments of having the Japanese students in America, as well as the feeling of seeing and learning many things afterwards," Fu said. "I highly recommend going on this program to other students because it is loads of fun and learning in a mere 10 days."

Muko has an estimated population of 54,000 and is outside the city of Kyoto. The relationship between Muko and Saratoga began when Muko resident and architect Kiyoshi Yasui designed the Hakone Garden Cultural Education Center.

Last year as part of the 20-year anniversary of the relationship between the two cities, Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith visited Muko. "Muko is a lovely old town," she said. "The area has a number of Buddhist Temples. It's a farming area and they really love their gardens."

Waltonsmith said the relationships that have developed over the years have proved to be lasting and at times mutually beneficial.

"What makes it really fun is some of the people who came as exchange students then got involved in the government and have come back as adults," she said.

The Saratoga Sister City Organization isn't only for high school students. Adult members periodically participate in an exchange program, visiting Muko and hosting Japanese adults in Saratoga.

"It's a real good organization with the intention of developing friendship between people from the two cities," Fasang said. "Clearly the objective has been met and will continue. We're still going strong."

For more information on the Saratoga Sister City Organization, call Pat Fasang at 408.741.5475.