Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

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ABOUT

Capital: Yokohama

Population: 9 million+ (as of 2015)

Governed by: Yuji Kuroiwa

Sister State formed in: 1980

The Sister State relationship started because of similarities between the two states; both Kanagawa and Maryland have mountains, beaches, a large bay, and a busy port and are located next to their respective nation’s capital. Through this Sister State relationship, Kanagawa and Maryland have maintained close ties in various areas, such as business and education. In addition to the Sister State relationship, Kawasaki City in Kanagawa and Baltimore City in Maryland are sister cities.

INITIATIVES

The relationship between Kanagawa and Maryland encourages the exchange and cooperation in a wide range of areas. These include: education, trade and business opportunities, cultural exchanges, and improvements to healthcare availability of each region.

THE LATEST

Eleven senior high school students came to visit for one week (3/20-3/26/2026). They visited Deputy Secretary of State Michael Lore and stayed with host families in the Howard County/Baltimore Area. Then they visited Washington DC before starting shadowing students who are learning Japanese at Eleanor Roosevelt Senior High School at PG County.

University of Maryland Baltimore County and Kanagawa Association of Private Junior/Senior High Schools signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 13, 2024. UMBC prepares to implement the Global Achievement Scholarship program for up to 10 students from Kanagawa each year to pursue their Bachelor’s degrees at UMBC. Also, UMBC hosts a group of students from the Association to study English for two weeks every summer.

Fall 2021 – Spring 2023 – Video Exchange Project

MD-Kanagawa Sister State Committee organizes a video exchange program in which students who are studying Japanese in Maryland introduce the state in Japanese for people in Kanagawa while students who are studying English in Kanagawa introduce the prefecture in English for people in Maryland. Each paired school meets online to share experiences of filming and other information. This is a series of nine paired school exchanges.

Project #1:

From Kanagawa – Introducing Yokohama in English by Seiko Gakuin Junior/Senior High school students: Watch HERE

From Maryland – Introducing Annapolis in Japanese by UMBC students: Watch HERE

Project #2:

From Kanagawa – Introducing Yokohama in English by Yokohama Futaba High School: Watch HERE

From Maryland – Introducing Patapsco State Park: Watch HERE
Project #3:
From Kanagawa – Introducing Kamakura in English by Kumon Kokusai Gakuen Junior-Senior High School students: Watch HERE
From Maryland – Introducing Silver Spring in Japanese by Paint Branch High School students: Watch HERE
Project #4:
From Kanagawa – Introducing Yokosuka in English by Toin Gakuen Senior High School students: Watch HERE
From Maryland – Introducing Life at the Naval Academy in Japanese by United States Naval Academy students: Watch HERE
Project #5:
From Kanagawa – Introducing Nature in Kanagawa and SDGs in English by Nihon University Senior High School students: Watch HERE
From Maryland – Introducing Baltimore in Japanese by Johns Hopkins students: Watch HERE

Fall 2019 – Two UMBC students completed internships to assist in English education at two private high schools in Kanagawa for three months.

Summer 2019 – Total of 30 students from private high schools in Kanagawa took two-week intensive English courses at the English Language Institute, UMBC.

Summer 2019 – Total of 5 English teachers from private high schools in Kanagawa completed TESOL program at UMBC.

Summer 2018 –10 undergraduate students, five each from University of Maryland College Park and University of Maryland Baltimore County, were invited to a two-week internship by the Kanagawa Private Association of Junior/Senior High Schools to commemorate the 70th anniversary of founding of the association.

On June 6, 2018, Deputy Secretary of State Luis Borunda attended the Japanese Coast Guard reception on the Japan Coast Guard training vessel “KOJIMA” in Baltimore. The Deputy Secretary provided remarks and highlighted the longstanding Maryland-Kanagawa Sister State and Baltimore-Kawasaki Sister City relations.

FUTURE PLANS

Interested in Japanese traditional culture or pop culture? Learn more and celebrate Maryland and Kanagawa Sister State relationship at the Japan Day/Fall Festival!!

Presented by the Maryland and Kanagawa Sister State Committee along with Misako ballet and Core-committee members, Japan Day will be a celebration of Japanese performances and culture. We welcome you to this cultural exploration event. Activities include;

Performances:

Ryukyu taiko and dance performance, Kendo and Naginata demonstration, Ballet performance Japanese choir

Activities:

Flower arrangement, Tea ceremony, Origami, Calligraphy, Yukata picture taken, Bazaar, Japanese snacks (to purchase), Japanese lunch box (pre-order), Cosplay contest, Japanese business information

Please support our Japan Day/Fall Festival by purchasing tickets so that we can host another one next year.

CONTACT

Tomoko Hoogenboom, Chair
Maryland Kanagawa Sister State Program Executive Committee
Email: tmkhgnbm@umbc.edu

Akihito Seta, Representative
Kanagawa Prefecture North America Office
Tel: 212-997-0437
Fax: 212-997-0464
Email: Akihito_Seta@jetro.go.jp