Name: Lomita City Hall Closed & Martin Luther King Jr. Day Service Information
Start: 2026-01-19
End: 2026-01-19
Location: Lomita City Hall

About Us

Round globe logo for Lomita Sister City

The Lomita Sister City Association (LSCA) is a non-profit organization and has proudly partnered with Takaishi, Japan, as our Sister City since 1981. Our mission is to foster cultural understanding and lifelong friendships through meaningful international exchange.

Every other year, LSCA selects approximately eight outstanding students and one chaperone from Lomita to travel to Takaishi for two to three weeks. On alternate years, we welcome students from Takaishi into our community, offering them the chance to experience life in Southern California.

This unique exchange program offers participants the opportunity to grow culturally, socially and academically. Through home-stays and daily interactions, students gain valuable insight into Japanese culture and traditions, while also discovering how much we have in common.

The bonds formed during these visits are truly heartwarming. Though the trips are brief, the friendships that blossom often last a lifetime.

Summer 2019 Japanese exchnge students at standing in front of a fire truck at Lomita Fire Station

Our Mission

The Lomita Sister City Association was created to strengthen relations between Lomita, California, and Takaishi, Osaka Japan.

Our hope is to promote a cultural understanding and cultivate students who come back with a new, diverse outlook about the world we live in while gaining tolerance, social skills and a new-found independence.

Outline map of Japan cities with Takaishi, Osaka Japan highlighted

Our Sister City: Takaishi 高石市

Osaka is both a city and a prefecture located in the Kansai region of Japan. Known for its vibrant culture, delicious street food and warm hospitality, Osaka is a major economic and historical hub. It’s also home to our Sister City, Takaishi, a coastal community that shares strong cultural and educational ties with Lomita through our exchange program.

Get Involved

Become A Student Ambassador

Ready for the experience of a lifetime? Learn how you can represent Lomita in Japan as a Student Ambassador!

Be A Host Family

Open your home—and your heart. Discover how you can host a student from Takaishi and create lasting international friendships.

How to Become a Host Family

Hosting a student ambassador from our Sister City, Takaishi, Japan, is a unique and rewarding way to share your culture while learning about another. Through home-stays, both families and students gain new perspectives, lifelong friendships and unforgettable memories. Many of our host families say the experience has been one of the most meaningful things they’ve ever done.

What does hosting involve?

Host a Japanese student for 10-15 days in the summer.
Provide a welcoming home environment and daily meals (breakfast and sometimes dinner throughout the week, all meals on weekends).
Include your guest in weekend family activities and during your daily morning/evening routines throughout the week.
Support their experience as they explore Lomita and take part in planned group events. This involves getting them to Lomita City Hall Monday-Friday by the scheduled start time for group activities.
Students must be provided their own bed in either their own room or in a room with a family member of the same gender and of similar age.

Who can host?

We welcome all types of families—whether you have kids or not, are new to the program or longtime participants. What matters most is a warm, open heart and a willingness to share your home and culture.

Priority is given to families of students applying to go on exchange the following year or those who went on exchange the year prior and need to complete their hosting obligations.

Benefits of Hosting

Cultural exchange and global awareness
Lasting friendships across borders
A meaningful way to support youth and international understanding
Priority consideration for future Student Ambassador applicants

Ready to host?

2025 is our year to send students to Japan.

We will be looking for host families for our 2026 program starting late fall/early winter of 2025

Check back soon for more details!

Volunteer With Us

Whether you want to join our board or lend a hand at events, there’s a place for you! Find out how to get involved.

Support Our Mission

Help us keep cultural exchange alive! Explore the many ways you can support our programs—from donations to sponsorships.

Run a Marathon With Us

Our international bond even runs through the streets! Learn about our Sister City marathon exchange and how to participate.

The Osaka Marathon

Each year, the Lomita Sister City Association proudly sponsors a delegation of two community members to participate in the Osaka Marathon. This exciting opportunity is more than just a race—it’s a cultural exchange that celebrates the spirit of international friendship and community connection.

Meetings

Our general meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Lomita City Hall. Please come and join us if you would like to know more about us and become involved in your community.

There are no meetings in December.

Become a Member

Membership Applications may be downloaded here or you may pick up an application at Lomita City Hall. Anyone is eligible to become a member. Please print and mail the completed form to:

LOMITA SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION
PO BOX 1048,
LOMITA, CA 90717
ATTN: MEMBERSHIPS

Why Become a Member of the Lomita Sister City Association?

Becoming a member of the Lomita Sister City Association means being part of something bigger—an international network of friendship, cultural exchange, and personal growth. As a member, you’ll support life-changing opportunities for local students, help foster meaningful global relationships and play an active role in building community through events, exchanges and educational programs.

Whether you’re passionate about travel, cultural understanding or simply giving back, your involvement helps us continue our mission of connecting Lomita with the world—starting with our Sister City, Takaishi, Japan.

Join us and make a difference—locally and globally.

Get in touch with us…

Follow us on Facebook
Connect with us on Instagram
(310) 325-7110
Lomita.SisterCity@gmail.com
Lomita Sister City Association
P.O. Box 1048, Lomita, CA 90717

How You Can Support LSCA

Volunteer

You don’t have to be a host family or student ambassador to make a big impact! There are plenty of ways to get involved with the Lomita Sister City Association. Help us spread the word by tabling at community events like Founder’s Day, serve on our board, assist with student orientations or support activities when we host students from Takaishi. Whether you have a few hours or want to take on a bigger role, we’d love to have you as part of our team!

Shop at Ralphs' and Food4Less

There are many ways you can show support for us without doing too much. You can simply help by doing your regular grocery shopping at Ralph’s & Food4Less. Ralph’s & Food4Less has a community contribution program and will reward us on a quarterly basis for a small percentage of the amount of your purchases. Every purchase will be credit towards our organization. Get your family and friend involved to help the growth our earnings. The more you shop, the more we earn! We thank you for shopping at these places in advance!

How to sign up:

Obtain a rewards card from Ralph’s & Food4Less.
Go online here and create a login for your rewards card.
Then look under Community Programs and find the organization “Lomita Sister City” and click on us to start supporting our program!
It will go into effect 72hrs after you have registered.

**The term ends every August 31st you and must renew your community program group every September 1st.

Printer Ink and Toner Cartridge Recycling Program

Any ink/toner cartridges from your printer, copier, fax machine, etc. can be recycled. Just bring in your cartridges to Lomita City Hall, or our meetings, and we will recycle them. Our association will then be given rebates for them from the recycling firm. While HP cartridges may earn the most rebate, we will gladly take any cartridge! Ask your family and friends too!

Cars 4 Causes®

Cars 4 Causes® originates out of a desire to help fund youth education. Along the road to achieving this one charitable goal, we thought it would be a good idea to allow our donors to direct a portion of their net donation proceeds to the youth oriented charity of their choice, this sharing the giving process directly with out donors. This proved to be a popular idea, so much so that donors submitted requests to share proceeds with all sorts of charitable organizations, schools, and religious organizations supporting all sorts of causes that were near and dear to their hearts. We agreed and donors began to refer to Cars 4 Causes ® as “The Charity that Gives to Charities.” ® To date, we’ve shared net proceeds from over 200,000 vehicle donations with more than 16,500 non-profit organizations throughout the United States that support all sorts of wonderful and essential causes. Proudly we have become an important part of a wonderful community of charities and the people who make them possible.

To donate, please click here and look at the ‘Charities’ tab under the ‘Supported Charities Directory’ to find the ‘Lomita Sister City Association (LSCA)’ to make a donation that will benefit our Association.

Exchange Program

Requirements:

A student
At least 15-22 years of age (at the time of application)
Interested in learning about Japanese customs, culture, and language
A legal U.S. resident
Live, work, or perform community service in Lomita
Must have a “C” average. (2.0 GPA)
Willing to participate in ALL LSCA activities and become a member
Must commit to being a host family

Bi-Annual Exchange to Japan

Student exchanges are offered on even-numbered years. On odd-numbered years we welcome and host 8-9 students and their chaperon from our sister city in Takaishi, Osaka Japan.

We are excited to announce that the next student exchange trip to Takaishi, Osaka Japan, will take place in July 2025!

High school students from Lomita will travel to Japan as cultural ambassadors, staying with host families, participating in local school and city events and experiencing the rich traditions of Japanese life.

Applications for student ambassadors are now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied!

If you’re interested in joining a future exchange, check back in late fall or early winter for information on becoming a host family—it’s the first step toward securing your spot for our 2027 exchange program and is a meaningful way to experience cultural exchange right from home and form lifelong international friendships.

Preparing For Exchange

Once selected as a Student Ambassador, participants will receive a comprehensive orientation guidebook and attend a series of group orientation meetings designed to help them prepare for the cultural exchange experience.

These sessions cover:

Japanese customs, etiquette and daily life
What to expect when living with a host family
Travel logistics and packing tips
Cultural presentation planning and ambassador responsibilities
Safety, communication and representing Lomita abroad

Our goal is to ensure students feel confident, informed and ready to make the most of this unforgettable opportunity.

1. Be a Host Family

The summer before our exchange to Japan, Lomita families host student ambassadors from Takaishi. Hosting is a key part of the exchange experience and gives families a chance to build early connections with our Sister City.

2. Apply

Applications open in late fall to early winter before the exchange year. Students must submit all required forms and paperwork by the deadline and will take part in an interview with the LSCA board and chaperone in early spring. Priority is given to students from families who hosted the previous summer. Students who haven’t hosted yet are expected to do so the following year.

3. Go on Exchange

In the summer, selected Student Ambassadors travel to Takaishi for 10-15 days of cultural exchange, home-stays, and unforgettable experiences as representatives of Lomita!

Experience Japan

What you will do and experience in Japan differs from trip to trip. However, you will visit the many temples and shrines, other Takaishi City local offices and surroundings, such as their public works departments. Many friendships and lifelong bonds can be built from this exchange.

Some examples from previous years include:

Kinkaku-ji ( 金閣寺 )

A Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. It is known as the Golden Temple or Golden Pavilion because it is covered in pure gold leaf.

Image of spotted deer in Nara with water front in background.

The Famous Deer in Nara

The deer are people friendly and so you can feed them, pet them, and take pictures with them! If you are lucky, you might even get a great selfie with them!

View of walkway with orange pillars lining sidewalk

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine ( 伏見稲荷大社)

Known for its miles of torii arches and makes for some beautiful, striking pictures that just make you think of traditional Japan.

Image of Glico Man, a famous sight in Namba, an entertainment district in Osaka.

Dōtonbori

No trip to Osaka is complete without a visit to Dotonbori! With its bright lights, street food, and iconic sights, this bustling district gives student ambassadors a taste of modern Japanese culture and fun.

Takaishi Fire Station

Get an inside look at how emergency services operate in Japan! A tour of the local fire station offers students a hands-on, cross-cultural view of public safety and community service. You might even get to play dress up for a day!

Tea Ceremony

Experience the beauty of Japanese tradition through a formal tea ceremony. Student ambassadors learn the art of mindfulness, hospitality, and cultural etiquette in this serene and meaningful practice.

Events

Group of students in front of the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine.

Large group of students in soccer field after a friendly game

Group of smiling students eating at a Japanese restaurant

Two students standing in front of an aquarium in Japan

Two students wearing team jerseys at a baseball game in Japan

An exchange student ringing a bell at a temple in Japan

Four students eating at a rotating table Japanese restaurant.

Founders Day

June 28 at 10 a.m. – June 29 at 6 p.m.

Celebrate Founder’s Day with us!

The Lomita Sister City Association will be out at Lomita’s Founder’s Day celebration, serving up drinks and snacks to raise funds for our student ambassadors traveling to Japan this summer! Come by our booth to support a great cause and chat with us about the amazing