Photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai - U.S. Marines and sailors from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni and local Japanese residents participate in the Iwakuni Friendship Relay Marathon in Iwakuni City, Dec. 1, 2019. The marathon was a 1.5km relay course around Go! Go! Field at Atago Hills Sports Complex. This annual event between MCAS Iwakuni and Iwakuni City is held to build comradery in the Iwakuni community and let the participants run in a friendly competition. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited - 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)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai - A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) dog handler conducts military working dog detection training at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Nov. 20, 2019. The training was part of a joint force detection exercise with JMSDF soldiers. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited - Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni residents visit the Iwakuni Culture Center for a class on Tenkoku stamps in Iwakuni City, Japan, Thursday, November 14, 2019. In the class, residents made their Tenkoku stamp based off of their names. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trista Whited)

Photo by Cpl. Angelo Sagum - Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni residents and Iwakuni locals bow during a Cultural Adaptation Program trip to the Iwakuni Shirohebi Shrine in Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 1, 2019. The visit to the shrine gave station residents the opportunity to learn the history of, and interact with, the white snake species.(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Angelo Sagum)

Photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai - Students from MCAS Iwakuni and students from local Japanese schools, pose for a group photo during the 58th annual Japanese and English speech contest in Iwakuni City, Japan, Nov. 17, 2019. The speech contest is held for participants to experience each other’s culture by learning and reciting a speech in their counterparts’ language. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Triton Lai)