Swan Hill - Yamagata

The relationship between Swan Hill and Yamagata officially started in 1980. It was one of the earliest Sister City arrangements with Japan.

The idea was started by City of Swan Hill ex-Councillor Alan Clark and Doctor Yoshio Yoshida. Both were Rotary International Chairmen and began Youth Exchanges between the two countries.

After almost 18 months of discussions, official sealed documents were exchanged in ceremonies in Yamagata and Swan Hill. Since 1986, there has generally been an exchange between our cities every second year. There have also been farmer exchanges, teacher exchanges and touring groups.

About Yamagata

The Yamagata Prefecture is like our state government, while the City of Yamagata is similar to local government. The Yamagata Prefecture is one of the smallest in Japan and is regarded as a farming area, away from the tourist route. The City of Yamagata has 250,000 people and is one of the major cities of Japan. It’s located beside the Mogami River and has mountain ranges on either side. In winter it snows and in summer the temperature gets up to 40 degrees. The City emblem is the Safflower and the district is known for its cherries and flavour of its rice. The biggest festival in Yamagata is the Flower Hat Festival. More than 10,000 dancers (Hanagasa Flower Hat Dance) parade through the street to a crowd of over 800,000 people.

Swan Hill-Yamagata Club

For information about the Swan Hill-Yamagata Club or to join please contact:
Mrs Lorretta Gleeson
Secretary
Swan Hill-Yamagata Club
2127 Bolton-Natya Road,
Natya. VIC. 3597.