News Stories

MCAS Iwakuni residents stir together a relationship - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents and Japanese teachers participate in a cooking class during a community cultural exchange with local Japanese children at Tsuzu Elementary School, Iwakuni City, Jan. 25, 2020. The exchange included an opportunity for participants to experience Japanese culture through games as well as a cooking class. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Japanese residents, students, and leaders take part in kakizome, at Waki Elementary School, Waki Town, Japan, Jan. 11, 2019. Kakizome is the first calligraphy writing of the year that sets the writers goals for the New Year. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai) - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Japanese residents, students, and leaders take part in kakizome, at Waki Elementary School, Waki Town, Japan, Jan. 11, 2019. Kakizome is the first calligraphy writing of the year that sets the writers goals for the New Year. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

Japanese and MCAS Iwakuni residents compete together in Undokai event - Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni and Iwakuni City residents compete in a game of tug-of-war during the Undokai children’s sports event at Atago Sports Complex in Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 23, 2019. The Undokai children’s sports event consisted of six events that gave station residents the opportunity to compete in team-building games alongside Iwakuni locals. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited)

MCAS Iwakuni residents make engraved Tenkoku stamps - Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni residents pose for a photo after a class at the Atago Lotus Cultural Center in Iwakuni City, Japan, Nov. 14, 2019. The trip was hosted by the Cultural Adaptation Program which gave station residents the opportunity to learn the history of Monk Dokyuru and the stamp he brought to Iwakuni. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited)

Iwakuni City celebrates 63rd Iwakuni Matsuri Festival - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Lance Lewis, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, dances in the 63rd Iwakuni Matsuri parade in Iwakuni City, Japan, Oct. 20, 2019. The Iwakuni Matsuri Festival is an annual festival and parade that features the local community and local organizations coming together to promote safety and development in the city. (Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

MCAS Iwakuni hosts 2019 Special Olympics - Local Japanese athletes and U.S. Marines participate in a soccer game during the 2019 Special Olympics at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 13, 2019. The Special Olympics was held in order to provide Marines and Japanese families volunteer opportunities with each other in a cultural exchange. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

Colonel Fredrick Lewis signs Fire Prevention Proclamation - U.S. Marine Corps Col. Fredrick Lewis, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni commanding officer, and John Neville, installation fire chief, sign the fire prevention proclamation on MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, September 27, 2019. Fire Prevention Week's purpose is to prepare MCAS Iwakuni residents for potential fires. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited)

MCAS Iwakuni residents learn how to grocery shop - Mikie Watanabe, a cultural adaptation specialist with Marine Corps Community Services, shows Jaclyn Kupka, a Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni resident, how to tell the difference between firm and soft tofu at Fresta Supermarket, Iwakuni City, Japan, September 20, 2019. Watanabe took MCAS Iwakuni residents to a Japanese supermarket to expose them to Japanese culture as part of the air station's cultural adaptation program. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited)

Go For Gold Olympic Swimming Workshop with Anthony Ervin - Anthony Ervin, an Olympic swimmer, demonstrates swimming techniques and movements to Japanese children at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, Aug. 26, 2019. Ervin spoke to children from local Japanese swim teams and the MCAS Iwakuni Tsunami swim team during a State Department sponsored visit to various locations in Japan. The purpose of Ervin’s visit was to inspire children, teach them how to swim better, and provide insight into what it is like to be an Olympian. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Andrew Jones)

Folk songs and friendships; dancing Bon Odori - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents and Kikuko Shinjo, a local Iwakuni resident, pose for a photo during a Bon Odori festival at the Kinjuen nursing home in Iwakuni City, Japan, Aug. 14, 2019. Station residents were invited to participate in a Bon Odori festival through the Marine Corps Community Services Cultural Adaptation Program. Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom, meant to honor the spirits of their ancestors. Highlights from the festival were the Bon Odori dance, Yukatas and eating traditional Japanese summer foods. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Lauren Brune) (This image was created in color and changed to black-and-white.)