Rémi Gonzalez, a resident of Baon with a passion for Japanese culture spanning over twenty years, has been exploring for several months the possibility of a twinning between our commune and a small Japanese village of comparable size. A poetic and ambitious idea, born from a simple conviction.
Baon has 58 inhabitants. There are dozens of small villages in Japan living the same realities as us — rurality, the connection to nature, community life. Distance doesn't matter; what matters is what we can share. Rémi Gonzalez, resident of Baon
A momentum in motion
On Friday 5 June, Rémi presented his idea to residents at a public meeting at the town hall. The reception among those present seemed favourable, with people keen to learn more about what such a connection might look like.
The ideal partner village would be a rural commune of comparable size — around fifty inhabitants, a preserved landscape, a strong attachment to its traditions. The ambition is to build an authentic bond, far removed from purely symbolic twinning. The choice has yet to be made.
On 8 June, Rémi met two members of the Paris office of CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations), the leading body for twinning between Japanese and French local authorities, working in partnership with the Japan Foundation. The meeting clarified the situation: CLAIR mainly supports twinning between larger towns, but remains open to supporting Baon's initiative. The next step is now to find a Japanese village interested in the exchange.
Rémi's ideas
During the meeting, Rémi shared several concrete ideas for giving visible form to this Franco-Japanese connection, should the project come to fruition.
The planting of Japanese cherry trees (sakura) in public space is the most evocative idea. Trees that would belong to the whole village and bloom every spring for everyone — which is why a municipal contribution might be considered for this element alone. Location, number and size are yet to be decided.
Rémi also imagines the participatory construction of torii — those iconic gateways of the Japanese landscape — built collectively by residents using reclaimed or donated wood, at no cost to the commune.
To structure the initiatives and seek external funding (grants, project calls), creating a non-profit association (loi 1901) would be worth considering. This framework would allow the project to thrive without weighing on the municipal budget.
Rémi also mentions an annual Japanese culture festival timed with the cherry blossom — film, gastronomy, crafts, music — the organisation and funding of which would naturally fall to the association.
An educational and youth dimension is also being considered, in partnership with schools and colleges in the surrounding villages. The idea: to involve children in a concrete way, through video calls with their Japanese counterparts, presentations on Japanese culture, or other projects to imagine together. A way to bring the twinning to life from an early age, well beyond the residents of Baon alone.
Next step
Following the meeting with CLAIR Paris
CLAIR mainly supports twinning between larger towns, but remains open to helping our project move forward. The next step: finding a Japanese village interested in partnering with Baon.
This multilingual site is our first outreach tool. Any help, lead or introduction to Japanese communities interested in twinning is very welcome — contact the town hall.