Four high school students from Penrith’s Sister City, Fujieda, Japan, are visiting Penrith City for a three-week exchange to learn about Australian culture, visit sights and practice speaking English.
They arrived on 24 July and left on 13 August.
The visitors are very keen to see koalas, kangaroos and the magnificent backdrop to Penrith City, the Blue Mountains.
Penrith Mayor Greg Davies said: “These students will get a great insight into Australia by attending local schools on two occasions with their host brother or sister.”
Their itinerary is extensive and to date they have visited the Japanese Friendship Pavilion in Weir Reserve, had morning tea on the Nepean Belle and attended bush dance hosted by the Penrith International Friendship Committee and host families.
The visit is a key activity that has developed as a result of Council’s Friendship Agreement with Fujieda City, which was signed in late 1984. For more information about the Penrith International Friendship Committee, visit http://www.pifc.org.au/
Meanwhile, Council has selected six Penrith region students to visit Fujieda as part of our Student Exchange Ambassador Program leaving Penrith on 14 September. Fujieda is about 180km south-west of Tokyo, is home to about 115,000 people and is close to the foot of Mt Fuji.
