Host Towns | Experiences in Aichi

Nagoya City

Partner Country / Region :

France

Canada

Uzbekistan

Nagoya is the host city for France, Canada and Uzbekistan. By creating opportunities for interaction between the people of these countries and the citizens of Nagoya, we aim to make Nagoya more attractive to the citizens of these countries and to realize a society of co-existence with them, as well as to build momentum for sports in anticipation of the Asian Games and to publicize their attractions through sports.

About Nagoya City: Nagoya Station is the gateway to Nagoya tourism, and is convenient for access to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The Nagoya City Science Museum, with one of the world's largest planetariums, downtown Sakae with the Misonoza Theater where Kabuki and other performances are held, and Osu, with its mix of historical sites and new trends such as Banshoji Temple, where you can eat your way through photo-worthy food and see a performance of mechanical puppets, are just a few of the highlights.

Toyohashi City

Partner Country / Region :

Germany

Lithuania

In 2016, Toyohashi City was registered as a Host Town for the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Lithuania. Since then, Toyohashi City has hosted Germany’s taekwondo and Lithuania’s goalball training camps, sports workshops with elementary school students, Japanese cultural experiences, and other exchanges. Toyohashi City also started new cultural exchanges, such as becoming partner cities with Panevėžys, Lithuania and holding youth exchanges with the gymnastics association in the Hamburg-Eimsbüttel district of Germany.

About Toyohashi City: A rare sight in Japan, Toyohashi City’s street trams continue to be a beloved mode of public transportation. In addition to Toyohashi brushes, a traditional handicraft widely known for their high quality, the city has continuously practiced other forms of traditional industry or culture, such as the tezutsu hand-held fireworks with more than 450 years of history or the Toyohashi Oni Festival, which has been passed down for over 1000 years.
Toyohashi’s traditional food culture includes Toyohashi Chikuwa (fish cake), Nameshi Dengaku (radish leaves mixed with rice alongside tofu with miso sauce), Mikawa Tsukudani (preserved foods), and Hama Natto (fermented soybeans). You can also enjoy the latest local food, “Toyohashi Curry Udon,” curry noodles with various toppings served on top of rice.

Okazaki City

Partner Country / Region :

China

Mongolia

In October 2018, Okazaki City, which has long been a sister city to Hohhot City in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was registered as a Host Town for China. In addition, in April 2019, Okazaki City was registered as the Host Town for Mongolia after holding a training camp for the Mongolian archery team delegates. Taking advantage of the opportunities provided by registering, Okazaki City aims to promote further cultural exchange with both countries.

About the City of Okazaki: Located in the center of the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, approximately 30 minutes from Nagoya by car or train, Okazaki City is rich in nature, history, and culture. Many temples and historical sites remain in the city, which was a former post town along the Tokaido highway as well as the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa Shogun and the founder of the Edo period. Moreover, the production of Hatcho Miso, a type of fermented soybean paste, has preserved the same traditional methods and taste since the Edo period and is an attraction that is not to be missed when sightseeing in Okazaki.

Handa City

Partner Country / Region :: China

Handa City and Xuzhou, China became sister cities in 1993, hosting many sports, cultural, or artistic exchanges centered around youth from 1994 to the present. In December 2017, Handa City was registered as a Host Town to China for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

About Handa City: Handa City is a place of history and culture. The brewing industry has thrived here since long ago, and black-walled warehouses still remain in the area around Handa Canal, where you can experience Handa’s rich food culture at places such as MIZKAN MUSEUM or Kunizakari Sake-no-Bunkakan Museum. Built in 1898, the Handa Red Brick Building is one of Japan’s few remaining large-scale brick buildings and is the site of the former Kabuto Beer brewery, where you can taste a revived version of Kabuto Beer. Every spring there are festivities where parade floats appear, and once every five years the Handa Floats Festival is held, when the city’s 31 floats appear all together. Handa City is the birthplace of author Niimi Nakichi, who wrote the famous children’s tale “Gon, the Little Fox,” and in autumn you can enjoy a scene straight from the story when 3,000,000 red spider lilies reach full bloom.

Kariya City

Partner Country / Region :: Canada

After applying through the national government, Kariya City was registered as a Host Town with Canada as their partner country on August 30, 2019. Kariya City has also agreed to hold the Canadian women’s basketball team training camp for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Centered around exchanges with Mississauga, Canada, Kariya’s sister city since 1981, Kariya City will prepare for the Olympic Games held in 2021, developing a wide variety of sports and other exchanges that will continue even after the conclusion of the Games.

About Kariya City: Kariya City is a charming place where culture and industry coexist. Within the city you’ll find the Kariya City Museum of History, where you can learn about Kariya City’s history on a deeper level; Kariya Highway Oasis, which ranks highly on lists of Japanese amusement and theme parks; and a gallery by a major automobile parts manufacturer. Traditional festivals also flourish here. A representative summer festival of Kariya City is the Mando Festival, an unusual festival where papier-mâché dolls called “mando” are constructed from bamboo and Japanese paper, each standing around 5 meters tall and weighing around 60 kilograms.
In recent years, large numbers of people also visit to watch sports, cheering for 13 hometown partner teams such as the SeaHorses Mikawa at home games held throughout the year.

Toyota City

Partner Country / Region :: United Kingdom

On December 9, 2016, Toyota City was registered as one of Great Britain’s Host Towns for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In 1998, Toyota City became sister cities with Derby City and South Derbyshire District in England’s Derbyshire County. Drawing on their previous experiences with cultural exchanges, Toyota City is planning various future events in connection with international exchanges, sports, education, and culture, as well as exchanges with Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

About Toyota City: Toyota City, where the head office of Toyota Motor Company is located, has a strong image as an “Automobile City.” On the other hand, it is also an area rich in nature, with forests accounting for about 70% of the city. Last year, the City of Toyota Stadium was one of the venues for the Rugby World Cup 2019™. Experience the facility’s vast scale for yourself on a stadium tour (reservations required). During summer in the Asuke area, enjoy the elegant scenery of streets lined with cylindrical “tankororin” lanterns made from bamboo and Japanese paper. Odo-cho in the Asahi area echoes with the refreshing sound of wind chimes during the summer Yumekake Furin Wind Chimes Fair. Plan a visit and take advantage of everything Toyota City has to offer!

Anjo City

Partner Country / Region :: Canada

In 2021, Olympic pre-games training camps for the Canadian women’s softball team will take place in Anjo City. The goal of Anjo City is to become “a holy land for softball” and a beloved sports city for many years to come.

About Anjo City: Anjo City is located in the middle of Aichi Prefecture along the JR Tokaido Main Line, the JR Tokaido Shinkansen, and the Meitetsu Main Line, making it a good location for travel around Aichi Prefecture.
In addition, from 2019 Anjo City became the venue for the Women’s National College Championship, deepening the city’s connection to softball.
Held every year in August, the Anjo Tanabata Star Festival is a large festival attended by over one million people. Two popular sightseeing spots within the city are Jozan-En Tea House & Garden, where you can see genuine Japanese-style gardens and architecture, and Anjo Industry Culture Park Denpark, where you can enjoy exotic flowers in each season.

Inazawa City

Partner Country / Region :: Greece

Inazawa City was registered as a Host Town to the Republic of Greece for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, having already formed an international sister city agreement with Olympia in the Republic of Greece and participated in various cultural exchanges. In the future, Inazawa City will continue to engage in cultural exchange centered around Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games, and encourage the development of friendly relations with the Republic of Greece for the purpose of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

About Inazawa City: Inazawa, a city blessed with nature where history and culture endure.
During the representative Konomiya Hadaka Matsuri, also known as the Naked Festival, thousands of men dressed in loincloths gather together to rid themselves of bad luck in a boisterous festival.
In the autumn, over 10,000 ginkgo trees in Inazawa City’s Sobue-cho paint the entire area in gold. The Sobue Icho Koyo Matsuri, or Inazawa Ginkgo Yellow Leaves Festival, is held in the area around Yusenji Temple where fallen leaves carpet the ground, creating a tunnel of yellow leaves you can walk through.

Mihama Town

Partner Country / Region :: Singapore

Mihama Town was registered as the Republic of Singapore’s Host Town on July 7, 2017 in recognition of previous opportunities to send elementary and junior high school students on exchange through the Aichi International Campaign for Hometown Interchange and Hospitality (AICHI Hospitality) program during the 2005 World Exposition. The town also has a connection to Otokichi, a late Edo period castaway from Mihama Town who traveled the world and finally settled in Singapore. On June 4, 2020, after a meeting with the Singapore National Paralympic Council, Mihama Town wrote a memorandum with the goal of becoming a Host Town and continuing friendly relations. From November 27, 2020, Mihama Town welcomed members of an international exchange from Singapore, implementing projects that will further develop cultural exchange.

About Mihama Town: Rich with woodlands and surrounded by the ocean, Mihama Town is a treasure trove of gourmet food. Besides spots where you can taste fresh seafood, there’s Mihama’s Prawn Cracker Village, where you can purchase or taste prawn crackers, a snack made using the bounty of the sea. Touch dolphins or feed penguins at Minamichita Beach Land, or play at Toy Kingdom’s many toy pavilions, a popular spot to bring the family. Koinomizu Shrine is said to answer prayers concerning love and marriage, while Noma Lighthouse is popular as a Lover’s Sanctuary and is regarded as a power spot where spiritual and natural powers reside.

Kota Town

Partner Country / Region :: Haiti

OOn August 22, 2019, Kota Town was registered as the Host Town for the Republic of Haiti, an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. After the Olympics conclude, Kota Town will welcome a delegation of Haitian athletes to hold sporting and cultural exchange events.

About Kota Town: Situated in the south central part of Aichi Prefecture, Kota Town is within 45 kilometers of Nagoya City, bordering on Okazaki City to the north, Nishio City to the west, and Gamagori City to the southeast. Wide fields extend out from Kotagawa River, which flows through the center of the town. Blessed with a mild climate, Kota Town is a beautiful place filled with lush nature. Kota Town’s Honkoji Temple is known as “Mikawa’s Temple of the Hydrangeas,” and gorgeous hydrangeas line the temple paths in June. In addition, Fudegaki persimmons are a local specialty cultivated in Kota Town, which boasts the largest production volume of this fruit in all of Japan.