Touchstones in Sapporo, Japan, Sister-city to Portland.

Hi Joe.

This is Zakh from meditation group. I just got back in Portland from my travels, and your touchstones were planted everywhere I went.

Portland has a sister-city relationship with Sapporo, a city in northern Japan, that goes back to the 1960s. It’s the reason behind Portland's Japanese garden, cherry blossoms, etc.

Well they take the relationship very seriously on the Japan side of things, but don’t have a lot of contact with people in Portland. I met with the Sapporo-Portland sister city association and presented them with five touchstones as a diplomatic gift; they’re now displayed in the international relations office in Sapporo. Happy holidays!

Zakh made his connection through the Facebook page for the Sapporo-Portland Sister-City Association and Makiko Aoki.