On June 17, through the mediation of Szent István University and the Josai International University Faculty of Tourism, Kamogawa and Gödöllő agreed to a friendship alliance in the Gödöllő mayor’s office. The growth of the global community has generated expanded possibilities for exchange between cities in different parts of the world, of which this new agreement is surely an example.

This alliance serves as a culmination of the Faculty of Tourism’s (whose campus is located in Kamogawa) year and month-long programs in which many Hungarian students have enrolled. Kamogawa, which attracts more than 4 million visitors annually, is a picturesque coastal city of 36,000 that features archetypal Japanese images of terraced rice-fields and mountain villages. The Faculty of Tourism has made the most of these tourist attractions in developing their program. Gödöllő, on the other hand, is located about an hour by train from the capital city of Budapest with a population of roughly 33,000. It too is a popular tourist destination because of the Grassalkovich palace, which, among European baroque palaces, is only second in size to Versailles. Gödöllő is also the home of Szent István University, known as the forerunner in Hungarian tourist education, and many grass-roots programs that bring university and community together.

In keeping with their commitment as a community-based university and their slogan, “A university that contributes to the community, a university supported by the community,” JIU offers a wide variety of community service programs and projects. This friendship alliance with Gödöllő can be seen as yet another example of this commitment.

This alliance originated in the correspondence between the mayors of Kamogawa and Gödöllő who used the Josai- Szent István connection as an opportunity to exchange personal letters. JIU Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Tourism, Ishida Masumi, acting on behalf of Mayor Katagiri Yuji, presented the pre-signed agreement to Gödöllő mayor Gémesi György who then signed the document himself, thereby finalizing the friendship alliance. It is also worth noting that Hungary served as the host nation for this year’s EU Summit, with the city of Gödöllő acting as one of the meeting sites, spreading greater awareness about this country as a result.