Tyler and Yachiyo celebrate 30 Years of friendship with anniversary delegation visit

The City of Tyler will welcome a delegation from its sister city Yachiyo, Japan, from March 25 through March 30, marking the 30th official trip in a partnership that has spanned more than three decades and resulted in over 780 community members collaborating across the Pacific. The visit celebrates a relationship first established by twinning ceremonies in 1992, with ties strengthened through educational, cultural, and business exchanges that continue to enrich both communities.

The delegation of 15 representatives will receive an official greeting at Tyler City Hall on Thursday, March 26 at 8:30 a.m. A welcome ceremony and gift exchange will be led by Mayor Don Warren, members of the Tyler City Council, and City officials.

Following their welcome at City Hall, the delegation will participate in meetings with Tyler Junior College, the University of Texas at Tyler, UT Health Tyler, and CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Hospital, and will also explore several of Tyler's cultural and community landmarks that showcase what the city has to offer. The group will also attend the activities related to Tyler's Azalea & Spring Flower Trail, the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, and the East Texas Symphony Orchestra's 90th Anniversary.

The itinerary also includes a dedication ceremony for a memorial bench honoring the late Tony Tadasa, who passed away in 2021. Born in Japan, Tadasa came to the United States to study at Tyler Junior College and became a champion for citizen diplomacy as one of the most dedicated members of the Tyler Sister Cities organization. Tadasa's enthusiasm was critical to the long-term strength of the partnership between the two cities.

A trip rotation schedule is shared between the two cities, usually coinciding with rose festival activities in Tyler and Yachiyo. These biennial trips aim to increase collaboration by keeping city contacts up to date and bringing together representatives from business and educational entities.

Tyler and Yachiyo have visited each other on 15 occasions. Additional delegations have traveled between the cities, including visits by the Yachiyo Boys and Girls Choir and the Tyler Junior College Dance Team, as well as by various representatives from both places. As a result, many economic, educational, and business partnerships have formed.

Education has always been the foundation of this Sister City relationship, beginning with two East Texas teachers traveling to Yachiyo City in 1991 to work in junior high schools alongside JET teachers as a one-year pilot program. Since then, 49 teachers from East Texas have lived in Yachiyo through the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) program, working with the Board of Education, team-teaching with over 300 Yachiyo teachers to date.

The Sister City partnership has also centered on a shared passion for the outdoors and roses. While Tyler is home to America's largest public rose garden, Yachiyo's beautiful Keisei Rose Garden features a famous café that uses natural ingredients, including their roses, in teas and pastries. The Keisei Rose Garden received the Award of Garden Excellence at the 17th World Convention of Rose Societies in 2015 and houses over 10,000 roses of 1,500 varieties.

Yachiyo City conducts many of the same activities that occur annually in Tyler, many of which are centered on their Rose Garden.

For more information about the Tyler Sister Cities program, go to Tyler Sister Cities.