About 30 years ago, a delegation from Nakayama, Japan, was looking for an agricultural community in California to become its sister city.
The visitors had been to Brawley, but couldn’t come to an agreement with officials there. They were on the 15 Freeway to San Diego, when they decided to get off in Temecula.
Thus began a relationship that is still strong, this year being the 30th anniversary of a connection between the two communities.
The Japanese met with then-Temecula City Councilmember Ron Roberts, former Temecula Valley schools administrator Jay Hoffman, and Jon Lieberg and Dan Venne of the Rotary. They settled on a connection that continues to thrive, said Richard Scott, chairperson of the Temecula Sister City Association.
Temecula adults traveled there at the start of June; Japanese students visited Temecula at the end of July. A group of Japanese adults will come to Temecula in late November. And it’s hoped that Temecula students will visit Japan next year.
Gifts from the Japanese are on display at the Temecula Civic Center, the Ronald H. Roberts Public Library (the former councilmember died in 2019) and the Temecula Duck Pond, said Tracy Frick, the city’s community services manager.
Frick, who went to Japan in 2019, said a local delegation is sent every three to five years.
“When we visit Daisen Town (The new name of the city, two communities combined into one), we are immersed in their culture, hosted in their homes and treated like royalty.”
She said the Japanese residents embody Temecula’s motto: “Old traditions, new opportunities.”
“The Japanese people strike an interesting blend of celebrating ancient while embracing new, clean and modern living,” Frick said.
Temecula also had a long sister-city relationship with Voorburg, Netherlands.
Karel Lindemans, a member of the first Temecula City Council, was a native of the country.
The city’s Voorburg Park is at 39960 Nicolas Road. The city’s website states that Voorburg officials created a long-stemmed yellow tulip named City of Temecula. The flowers are grown all over the town, especially near city hall, according to the website.
Voorburg was a sister city for Temecula from 1993 to 2019. Scott, the head of the Temecula sister city group, said not enough locals were interested in visiting the Netherlands.
“It was expensive to get to Europe because parents were funding the trip,” he said of local student travel to Netherlands schools.
Temecula residents also didn’t visit their Japanese sister city during the pandemic years. The 30th anniversary exchanges are the first since COVID-19 restrictions eased.
Speaking to the agricultural origins of the two cities, Scott said a Temecula city employee made a cartoon character that featured the grapes for which the Temecula area is known and the broccoli in which the Japanese city specializes.
Scott, a retired teacher, said he got involved in 2010, when he and his wife Donna hosted Japanese adults.
He has led the Temecula sister-city group for almost a decade and called interacting with foreigners a delight.
Scott, who has visited Japan twice, said the hosts go “all out,” helping Americans enjoy noodle making, play their version of miniature golf, dress in Japanese clothes and make crafts from the country.
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“I enjoy learning about their culture, their outlook on life and their openness,” he said.
The language barrier can be a challenge, but he added: “Google Translate is our friend.”
Frick, too, said the feeling is mutual for Japanese residents.
“They love Temecula. Many students who visited in middle school have returned as adults, bringing their families with them.”
For three decades now, Brawley’s loss has been Temecula’s gain.
Reach Carl Love at carllove4@yahoo.com.
