Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CARAWAY
MAYOR
Dallas Mayor Dwaine Caraway today sent a letter of support and condolence to
the Mayor of Sendai, Japan, an official Friendship City of Dallas.
In his letter, Mayor Caraway told Sendai Mayor Emiko Okuyama that the tragedy
in Japan has struck close to the city’s heart.
“Everyone in our city is watching the events unfold in your country with great
sadness at the destruction, but we are praying for hope and strength for your city
and your nation in the days ahead,” wrote Mayor Caraway.
In recent years Dallas, in conjunction with the World Affairs Council and the
Japan American Society of Dallas, has sent a pair of runners to participate in the
Sendai International Half Marathon. In 2007, Mayor Laura Miller accompanied
the runners. A list of other city officials who have visited Sendai on behalf of
Dallas is below.
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY HALL DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 TELEPHONE 214/670-4054 FAX214/670-0646
From the website of the Dallas Protocol Office.
The Japan American Society in Dallas (JASD) formed the Dallas/Japan Sister Cities
Committee and began the search for a Japanese sister city in 1991. The city of Sendai
was quickly selected, and after several visits on part of representatives from both cities,
the agreement proceeded. Dallas and Sendai enjoyed a number of exchanges long before
the International Sister Agreement was officially signed in 1996. There have been a
number of business partnerships created between the two cities since 1991. For the past
seven years, Dallas has sent a delegation to Sendai, Japan to participate in the city's
Annual Half Marathon. The delegation typically includes a City Council member, two
runners, and a representative from the Office of International Affairs, now Dallas
Protocol.
The most memorable event between these two cities was the "Sun and Star 1996"
festival that introduced Japanese culture throughout major cities in Texas in which
special arrangements were made for Dallas to successfully organize. A Sendai citizen's
delegation composed of 100 members visited Dallas late in the summer to introduce
Sendai's culture through the festival. Many local companies collaborated with the City
of Dallas in order to make the celebration spectacular. Most recognizable was the Dallas
Museum of Art (DMA). Developed collaboratively with the DMA, Mitchell's Fine Arts
Day took advantage of Sun and Star 1996, North Texas Japanese art and culture
festival that lasted for 100 days in the fall of 1996 A primary goal of this concerted effort
was that all students from all grade levels at the school visited the'DMA s exhibition of
Japan's Golden Age: Momoyama. The exhibit of artworks created during Japan's
Momoyama period (1568-1618) included ceramics, lacquer ware, painted screen and
scrolls masked weaponry. The DMA was the only venue in the world for this
monumental exhibition that included many Japanese National Treasures and
Important Cultural Properties.
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OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY HALL DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 TELEPHONE 214/670-4054 FAX214/670-0646