Welcome!

Delegation visits Kiyomizy-dera temple

Photo courtesy of Yoshida Kyoko.

Twelve high school and college students along with two chaperones have traveled to Izumi, Japan as part of the BSCO sponsored 2008 Student Delegation Exchange Program. The delegation visited Izumi June 15 – 28. (Click to see delegate brochure.)
Bloomington’s sister city, Izumi City, had a busy and exciting itinerary (click to see itinerary) for the students including visits to schools; tours of Kuboso Memorial Museum and the Sakai Hamono Museum; travel to Kyoto, Nara and Namba; visits to Satake Glass Corporation and other interesting sites. The delegates stayed with host families in the evenings and on the weekend.
The delegation was chaperoned by BSCO President and Jefferson High School Principal Steve Hill and his wife, Tracey. Students represent Jefferson High School, Normandale Community College, Metropolitan State University and the University of Minnesota. BSCO thanks Izumi City and the gracious host families for their time and commitment to the Student Exchange Program.

MN Sister Cities Internation Annual Conference
The Minnesota Sister Cities Annual Conference was held May 3, at the Bloomington City Plaza. Additional information is available by clicking on this hyperlink.

KITE DAY 2008
Bloomington Sister City Sponsored KITE DAY 2008 in celebration of Children’s Day in Japan.

Taste of Japan 2008

The 2008 Taste of Japan was held March 1 at the Civic Plaza. Go to our 'Events & Photos', and click on 'Photo Gallery' for pictures of this year's 'Taste of Japan'.

Izumi City tells of the visit to Bloomington
Izumi City made a report book for Student Delegation 2007. It can be accessed from their website at http://www.ican.zaq.nejp/izumi_iea/StudentDelegation2007.pdf or downloaded from this website by clicking on Student Delegation 2007.

2008 Senshu Marathon Runners Results

BSCO is proud to announce that our two International Senshu Marathon runners completed the marathon in Izumi City, Japan on February 17th. Tom Christian (Top Photo), a business owner in Bloomington ran it in 3:20:28. Gus Virkus (Bottom Photo), a cross country coach at Jefferson High School ran it in 3:52:40. The race started with sunshine and 45 degrees, however the temperature dropped and they had wind and snow to face for about 15 miles. They returned to Minnesota February 19th. They were overwhelmed with the generosity of their host families and the City of Izumi. The trip was a very successful experience for both runners. Tom and Gus were guests of Japanese families and visited historic and contemporary sites while in Japan and were guests at a formal reception with Izumi’s mayor and city dignitaries. The invitation included round trip airfare to Osaka from Chicago or Detroit, courtesy of Japan Air Lines and hotel accommodations the day before and after the marathon. The BSCO again extends a congratulations to Tom Christian and Gus Virkus for a job well done and looks forwarding to hearing more from them.

About this Web site

This site exists to celebrate the Sister City relationship between Bloomington, Minnesota, USA, and Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. We hope we can provide visitors and BSCO members alike with useful information about the Sister City relationship.On this website, you can:

• Catch up on the latest Bloomington-Izumi Sister City news.
• Learn about upcoming events and annual events.
• Learn about the history of our relationship.
• Find out how to join BSCO, and learn about our current members.
• Find links to related websites.

Help us to improve this site

Please enjoy the site, and be sure to send your feedback and ideas about site content and functionality to sistercity@ci.bloomington.mn.us.