By Alan Sorensen
Five Japanese girls are spending this week visiting in Havre as part of a cultural exchange between Montana and her sister state of Kumamoto in Japan. Havres Whitman Holt went to Japan in 1997 as part of the same exchange.
Members of Soroptimist International of Havre spent much of the week with the girls including a Pepin Park picnic and Wahkpa Chugn bison Kill Site tours Wednesday. The Japanese girls Sayaka Haruki, Chisui Yamasaki, Sachiyo Furuuchi, Tomoko Tsuchida, and Yoshimi Nakashima also were scheduled to visit Havre Beneath the Streets and Heritage Center. Their itinerary also includes a Friday visit to Mission Canyon and an evening visit to Fort Belknaps Milk River Days and Pow-Wow.
Soroptimist Ramona Lohse said the Havre group got involved with the visit because Soroptimists have a friendship link with the city of Nara, Japan. One of the girls visiting Havre is from Nara.
Saturday, the girls head back to Kumamoto Plaza in Helena to link up with the 27other Japanese students visiting sites throughout the state.
The girls host families in Havre were Dr. Bruce and Kathleen Richardson and Gary and Barbara Shelton.
