Local students head to Japan through a cultural exchange program decades in the making

Local students head to Japan through a cultural exchange program decades in the making

Thirteen New Paltz Middle School students are heading to sister city Niimi, Japan this spring, some of whom raised funds for the trip through a Battle of the Bands competition at the Falcon. (Photos by Meredith Casimiro) From New Paltz to Niimi may sound like a travelogue, but that’s exactly what it is. The local organization is devoted to cultural exchange between the sister cities of New Paltz and Niimi, located in the Okayama Prefecture in Ja…