French Cooking Class Held in Kamaishi, Iwate Pref., to Commemorate Sister City Agreement with Digne-les-Bains

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:18 JST, August 21, 2024

KAMAISHI, Iwate — A French cooking class was held in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture, in late July in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the sister city agreement between the city and Digne-les-Bains in France.

Eight local parents and children tried making crepes.

After the 1992 Sanriku Sea Expo held in Kamaishi, the friendship between the two cities began and they signed a sister city agreement in 1994. Since then, the two cities have deepened their friendship. Kamaishi received relief money from the French city in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Isabelle Sasaki, 44, who hails from France and lives in Ofunato in the prefecture, served as an instructor at the cooking class.

With a batter made from flour, eggs and milk, French crepes are seasoned with sugar and feature a simple flavor. Participants carefully spread a thin layer of batter into a flat pan and cooked the crepes one by one.

“The batter was sticky and delicious,” a 10-year-old girl in the fourth grade at an elementary school in Kamaishi said with a smile.

“Everyone made them very well,” said Sasaki, adding, “I’m glad they are interested in the culture of my country.”