The ongoing bond between Lacombe and its Japanese twin community continues this week.

On Saturday, the Lacombe and District Rikubetsu Friendship Society welcomed a delegation from the northern rural town of Rikubetsu to Terrace Ridge School.

“I’m hoping that they will remember us as an arms-wide open, welcoming community and that they enjoy the Canadian lifestyle,” said Marlene McQuesten, chair of the society.

The guests include 14 students and four adult chaperones who will stay with hosts families until Wednesday.

“It is a very enriching experience. They get out of this, an understanding of how Canadians do life and how Japanese people do life and just establishing friendships,” McQuesten said.

A few activities on the itinerary include a trip to the Telus World of Science, a tour of Lacombe and time spent with their hosts.

The partnership between the two municipalities started in 1986, at a time when both their populations were about 5,000. While Lacombe has grown, Rikubetsu’s population has shrunk.

“They’re in a rural area in Hokkaido and they have strict laws about agriculture and land use,” McQuesten said.

In 2016, Lacombe and Rikubetsu celebrated 30 years of friendship.

McQuesten said Rikubetsu has sent a delegation every year. However, Lacombe’s last visit to Japan was in 2012. She’s hoping they can make the trip soon, adding that more exchanges like these are needed.

“I think that it makes the world a much smaller place because it helps individuals and families to have a broader understanding of different cultures.”