Upcoming Events

Please check back soon for news on upcoming events!

Past Events

2024 Winter Workshop - January 27, 2024

Continuing on the theme of business and youth connections, the California-Japan Sister Cities Network presented “Global Connections: Sister Cities, Business, and the Next Generation” in San Mateo, CA on January 27, 2024. Co-hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco and the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles and in partnership with the San Mateo Sister City Association, over 100 guests enjoyed an informative workshop and delicious lunch. Please click here for more details about the event.

2023 Fall Workshop (Los Angeles) - October 6, 2023

On October 6, CJSCN and the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles hosted a Fall Workshop at the Official Residence of the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles. The event theme was “Navigating Renewed Opportunities for Sister Cities”. Approximately 50 people attended, including sister city leaders, youth leaders, and business leaders in Southern California. It was the second in-person reception in Los Angeles for CJSCN’s network, after the 2022 spring event. Please click here for more details about the event.

2023 Spring Workshop (Online) - May 19, 2023

On May 19, 2023, CJSCN held its annual online Spring Workshop via Zoom, in partnership with the Consulates General of Japan in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. The workshop’s theme was “Navigating Renewed Opportunities for Sister Cities.” It was attended by approximately 150 people including sister city organization leaders, community stakeholders, and JET alumni. Overall, 51 California cities and 25 Japanese cities were represented. Please click here for more details and a recording of the event.

2022 Fall Workshop (San Francisco) - December 9, 2022

In cooperation with the Consulates General of Japan in San Francisco and in Los Angeles, CJSCN hosted the 2022 Fall Workshop in San Francisco on December 9. It had the same focus of “Connecting Sister City Youth with Your Community” as the November event in San Diego, so that both our Northern and Southern California sister city networks could enjoy in-person events this year. Please click here for more details about the event.

2022 Fall Workshop (San Diego) - November 19, 2022

In cooperation with the Consulates General of Japan in San Francisco and in Los Angeles, CJSCN hosted the 2022 Fall Workshop in San Diego on November 19 at the Balboa Recital Hall. Under the theme of “Connecting Sister City Youth with Your Community,” attendees enjoyed a networking session, information sharing, and educational workshops on establishing internship programs for youth with local businesses, especially Japanese-owned businesses. We would like to give special thanks to the San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society (SDYSCS) for their special support for this event. Please click here for more details about the event.

2022 Spring Workshop (San Francisco) - Cancelled

The in-person reception that was scheduled for May 27 in San Francisco has been cancelled due to the recent rise in COVID cases in the San Francisco Bay Area. We apologize for any inconvenience.

2022 Spring Workshop (Online) - June 24, 2022

On June 24, 2022, CJSCN held its annual online Spring Workshop by Zoom, in partnership with the Consulates General of Japan in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. The workshop’s theme was “Reignite the Sister City Community!” Over 100 people participated, representing 27 cities from California and 11 cities from Japan. Please click here for a full write up of the event and photos.

2022 Spring Workshop (Los Angeles) - May 13, 2022

On May 13, 2022, a spring networking reception was held at the residence of the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles. Titled “Reignite the Sister City Community!”, this event was co-sponsored by three organizations: the Consulates General of Japan in Los Angeles and San Francisco and the California-Japan Sister Cities Network. Approximately 40 people representing 14 sister city programs in Southern California attended. It was the first in-person reception in Los Angeles for CJSCN’s network. Please click here for a full write up of the event and photos.

2021 Fall Workshop (Online) - October 22, 2021

The 2021 Fall Workshop was once again held as a virtual event for all cities in California and Japan. The theme for this event was "Beyond Cultural Exchange - Creative Economic Collaborations." The presentations and breakout room discussions explored the roles of economic collaborations as creative opportunities for sister city programs. Please click here for a full write up of the event, photos, and resource links.

2021 Spring Workshop (Online) - May 14, 2021

The 2021 Spring Workshop was held as an online event for all cities in California and Japan. The theme was “Citizen Diplomacy through Technology and Innovation.” We had comments from the Consuls General from the San Francisco and Los Angeles Consulates General of Japan, as well as the California State Senate President Pro Tem, Toni Atkins. A special presentation from the San Diego Yokohama Sister Cities Society focused on their many successes with virtual exchanges and events since the pandemic began, and how other sister city programs could implement similar programs. As part of the event, CJSCN received a Consul General’s Commendation from Consul General Maeda of San Francisco for our work. We are very grateful for this support. Please click here for a full write up of the event, photos, and resource links.

2020 Fall Workshop (Online) - November 13, 2020

In light of the ongoing pandemic, CJSCN hosted its third annual Fall Workshop on November 13, 2020 in a virtual online format. While it was unfortunate to not be able to meet in person this year, the new online format provided new opportunities, such as being able to easily welcome attendees from across the entire state of California, and even from Japan. We had approximately 170 attendees join the event, which provided a variety of presentations and resources on current sister city activities, and how to keep programs running strong during pandemic conditions. Please click here for a full write up of the event, photos, and resource links.

CANCELLED 2020 Spring Workshop (South San Francisco) - April 17, 2020

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are sorry to announce that the 2020 Spring Workshop has been cancelled. We hope to be able to host our 2020 Fall Reception in October or November, conditions permitting.

2019 Fall Reception (San Francisco) - November 15, 2019

CJSCN’s second Fall Reception was held on November 15, 2019 in San Francisco. Approximately 60 people representing around 30 different sister city connections participated in the event. The event was split into workshop and networking portions, and also featured several guest speakers. Attendees discussed both traditional and innovative ways to increase collaboration with like-minded communities and groups, such as the JET Alumni Association. Please click here for a full review of the event and photos.

2019 Spring Workshop (South San Francisco) - March 15, 2019

On March 15, 2019, CJSCN held our 2019 Spring Workshop and networking event in South San Francisco for all California sister city members. Approximately 20 people representing a variety of sister city programs and supporters across California attended. CJSCN Board members shared the many exciting new resources and updates that have become available, and attendees participated in group discussions about "strategies for success" after hearing from some leading sister city organization members. A full write up about the event and the workshop Powerpoint file are accessible here.

Inaugural Workshop & Reception (San Francisco) - October 26, 2018

Our inaugural workshop & reception event was held on October 26 in San Francisco, in partnership with the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco. You can read more about this event and see photos here.