We Are Tomodachi Spring / Summer 2018

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26The Host Town Initiative is a project which the Government of Japan has been promoting to local governments across the country in preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is a unique project, aimed at creating opportunities for sports-based exchanges between local residents and people from around the world, by taking advantage of the Games not only in Tokyo, but also across Japan.As of April 2018, a total of 298 local governments in all prefectures of Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, have been registered as host towns, while the number of partner countries and regions has reached 95. These host towns have been implementing their own exchange programs; for example, getting local universities to host training camps for sports teams from overseas, and providing Japanese cultural experiences to promote exchanges between Japanese students and participants from other countries.Additionally, 15 local governments in the three prefectures most severely affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake (Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima) have been specially registered as “Arigato” (“Thank You”) Host Towns for Supporting Reconstruction, which are promoting exchanges with residents while showing how they have recovered to countries that have supported them. Kamaishi City, situated in coastal Iwate, is one such town, with Australia as its partner country. Having been selected as a host of Rugby World Cup 2019, the city has been promoting international exchanges through rugby in the Scott Fardy talked to 60 sixth-grade students about the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake at an elementary school in Kamaishi City and enjoyed playing tag rugby (a version of rugby for beginners) with them.Hundreds of Host Towns Ready for Big Sports EventsRugby World Cup in 2019 and Olympic/Paralympic Games in 2020