Neyagawa is located in the Osaka Prefecture, Japan. While significantly smaller in area at only 9.27 square miles, Neyagawa boasts a similar population to Newport News. The city sits on the banks of the Yodo River and begins as a flat green plain that gives way to an industrial and residential skyline which reaches to the Ikoma Mountains. The city takes its name from the Neya River that runs through its center. In Japan, the Neyagawa International Exchange and Friendship Association (NIEFA) oversees the relationship.

The most recent exchange involving Newsome Park Elementary School in April 2006 was funded to a large degree with private and corporate money. This trip was not just a simple 9-day excursion, but a year-long learning experience. “World Cultures” was the overarching theme of all student projects at Newsome Park in 2005-2006, and students spent the entire year comparing and contrasting U.S. and foreign cultures. The delegation of 57 citizens (25 students, 25 parent chaperones, 4 Sister City representatives, and 3 school officials) was the culmination of that learning and resulted in a “summit” with two Japanese Elementary Schools.

Visit the Neyagawa Japan, website