Sunflower exchange

Konan Ward, a symbol of sunflowers, and elementary school studenｔ in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture visit each other every year.
It was held for the first time in four years (the Konan Ward elementary school studenｔ has visited Osaki City for the first time in five years).
This year, the program was held from August 2 to 4 for 3 days and 2 nights, and we were able to deepen exchanges.
The program is scheduled to be held in Konan Ward next year.

The Sanbongi, Osaki-shi Sunflower Exchange Association in Miyagi Prefecture and the Konan Ward Sunflower Exchange Association interact with each other for the purpose of "fostering hometown consciousness" for children and other local people, revitalizing the area, and fostering healthy youth. We perform "sunflower exchange".
Sunflower exchange celebrated the 35th anniversary of the exchange in 2023.

Osaki City was born by the merger of one city and six towns (including Sanbongi-cho) located in the northwestern part of Miyagi Prefecture.
In the city, a fruitful plain called "Osaki Kodo" spreads out, and rice production is thriving. In December 2017, agriculture in the Osaki area was certified as a "World Agricultural Heritage".

Osaki City Location Map

In the latter half of the 1950s, Osaki City (former Sanbongi-cho) started sunflower cultivation by cropping, and in 1987 full-scale cultivation in Himawarino-oka began. (Even now, 420,000 sunflowers bloom every year.)
Yokohama citizens who visited Himawarino-oka told the former Sanbongi-cho staff that the flowers of Konan Ward were sunflowers, so exchanges through sunflowers began.

In February 1989, a friendship meeting was held in Konan Ward, Konan Ward visited the Spring Festival held in Sanbongicho in April 1989, and Osaki City visited the Yokohama Expo (Konan Kumin Day).

Furthermore, in August of the same year, Konan Ward elementary school studenｔ experienced a homestay in Sanbongi, and in March of the following year, Sanbongi Elementary School elementary school studenｔ experienced a homestay in Konan Ward.
Exchanges where children visited each other continued until 1998, but since it became difficult to select recipients, from 1999 to 17, exchanges where adults from various local action groups visited each other. Was.

Later, in 2006, the former Sanbongi-cho merged with neighboring municipalities and became part of "Osaki-shi", and exchanges for elementary school students revived. "Himawari Life Experience Exchange" continues today.

Sunflower is a flower of the ward and a symbol of Sanbongi in Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture.
Sunflower seeds given every year from Osaki City are given every year so that they can have an attachment to this mutual symbol sunflower.
We distribute to inhabitants of a ward and nursery school, elementary school. (From April to May every year)

Konan Ward and elementary school studenｔ in Osaki City visit each other to experience the charm of each other through a three-night stay experience.

Every year, we cooperate and support the product exhibition of the Sanbongi, Osaki-shi Himawari Exchange Association's product exhibition and sightseeing PR of Osaki-shi, which opens at the "Konan Children's Dream World" held in November.