Half Moon Bay-Kariwa Sister City Association, INC.

Our committee visiting our counterparts in Kariwa Village, Japan, Fall 2024

The Half Moon Bay - Kariwa Sister City Association was officially established in 1992 and is based on student exchanges between Half Moon Bay and its "Sister City" Kariwa, Japan. Kariwa-Village is similar to Half Moon Bay in that they are both coastal towns with similar size, populations, and demographics. The program consists of an alternating annual exchanges of two or more high school students, resulting in a greater understanding and appreciation of our two nations and their cultures. Our student “Ambassadors” whom we send to Japan often have life-changing experiences that they bring back to Half Moon Bay!

The Sister City Program runs on a two-year cycle. The first year, HMB students travel to Japan and typically stay with more than one host family. American students may spend each week with a different host family, creating a wide breadth of experiences. The students stay with their Japanese families from about the last week in July through mid-August. The students are required to make a presentation to the Sister City Committee upon their return from Japan and is usually poignant and personal. Many describe their homestays in Japan as "Life-Changing."

The following year, Japanese students travel to Half Moon Bay to learn about life in Half Moon Bay and beyond. Host families are often the families of students who have gone to Kariwa or would like to go in the future, but that is not always the case. Host families can be anyone in the community that shares a love of the Coastside and would like to participate. The committee hosts a welcome party for the Japanese students' and a sayonara (farewell) party at the end of their stay. Many times photos of the visit are shared, as are many thank you's and tears of joy. Throughout their stay here, the host families are free to determine the activities of the student delegates. Many travel to San Francisco and the Bay Area tourist sites to expose the students to as much American life as possible. Many times, camping, hiking, going to the beach or the redwoods is on the agenda for the students.

Our 2026 Project: A Community Garden 

We're extremely excited to announce that, per City Councils project approval (Feb 2026), we are beginning the work for a new Community Garden Project commemorating our more than 30 Years of Friendship between the City of Half Moon Bay and the Village of Kariwa-Mura, Japan. As a gracious donation of both her time and expertise, Alison Shadwell-Williams has created a plan for a small but meaningful garden space in the interior courtyard of the Half Moon Bay Library. The garden space will be pulling symbolism from the following use of four colors: Green which represents everlasting friendship between our cities, Blue which represents the skies and oceans that separate our cities, White which represents the purity of friendship, and Red which represents our vibrant bond. 

With materials donationed from local businesses like Rice Trucking-Soil Farm, J. Cozzolino Landscape and more, we're breaking ground on this project and aim to have the garden complete by Fall of 2026. This project is a combination of donated materials and time from local partners, as well as funded by our group (The City of Half Moon Bay is not contributing to this project financially). Funds raised during Coastside Gives 2026 will help with the remaining costs of this project, which include the plants themselves and a plaque to describe the meaning and symbolism of the space.