Tyler, Texas Sister Cities

The final day of the delegation visit by our sister city Yachiyo, Japan was a reflection on this flourishing partnership and the new friendships forged this week.

Sunday’s highlights included:
🇯🇵 Attending Sunday services with Tyler mayor Don Warren at Green Acres Baptist Church
🇯🇵 Walking tour of the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden
🇯🇵 Cookout lunch on the Queen’s Lawn
🇯🇵 Tour of the Rose Garden Museum
🇯🇵 Dedication of the Tony Tadasa memorial bench in the Tyler Rose Garden, near the Tyler Sister Cites peace pole and koi pond
🇯🇵 Tour of the restored historic Mayfair Building
🇯🇵 Farewell dinner with Tyler Sister Cites members and representatives of the City of Tyler, including performances by the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles and the UT Tyler Jazz Combo.

Coming off a successful and memorable delegation visit by our sister city Yachiyo, Japan, we hosted a packed monthly board meeting last Tuesday.

With several exciting projects on the horizon, now is a great time to be part of this momentum and join our mission of “making a difference.”

Learn more: https://tylersistercities.org/become-a-member

Our friends from sister city Yachiyo, Japan have shared a letter with all members of the Tyler Sister Cities organization:

"On behalf of the fourteen members of our delegation, including myself, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the members of the Tyler Sister Cities for your warm hospitality during our recent visit to Tyler.

It was truly a great honor and joy for all of us to attend the memorial bench dedication ceremony for the late Mr. Tony Tadasa together with Mrs. Cathy Tadasa.

I realize that the preparation of the visit program must have required a considerable amount of work. We are deeply grateful to Mr. Russ Jackson and Ms. Jennifer Rader, who kindly accompanied us almost every day. We also wish to express our sincere appreciation to Ms. Fumie Moulton and Ms. Susan Moreland for their excellent interpretation throughout our stay.

As Mr. Mitsuhashi mentioned, it was very meaningful for him to meet Mr. Van Jordan, who had attended the signing ceremony of the sister cities agreement held in Yachiyo. It reminded us all of the 34-year history of friendship between our two cities. Mr. Mitsuhashi also shared a delightful story about meeting the Bauer family-the father and daughter who visited Yachiyo in July 2014. To his surprise, the little girl who was six years old at that time has now grown into an eighteen-year-old young lady. While he remembered the father's face immediately, it took him a moment to realize who she was, as she had changed so much. This memorable reunion made us truly appreciate how the bond between our sister cities continues to grow through steady people-to-people exchanges.

A new Yachiyo City Hall building is currently under construction. We plan to begin preparations this May, working closely with the Tyler committee to create a program that will be enjoyable and satisfying for all of you."

Kimiko Saito
President, Yachiyo International Association

This week, our friends from the Yachiyo, Japan International Association met with Yachiyo City leaders to give a report on their delegation visit to Tyler last month. Gifts from Tyler were delivered to city hall during a meeting with the deputy mayor and staff from the city promotion division. "While showing them the broadcast that aired on a TV station in Tyler, we were able to give a detailed report on how warmly and generously we were welcomed."

Pictured, left to right, are: Murasaki Ogawa, board member of Yachiyo International Association; Ryoji Fukai, deputy mayor of Yachiyo City; Kimiko Saito, president of the Yachiyo International Association; and Shin-ichiro Mitsuhashi, secretariat of Yachiyo International Association.

The Tyler Sister Cities organization extends well-wishes to Yachiyo City mayor Tomonori Hattori, who has been a strong supporter of our sister city partnership. Last week, he announced a 4-5 month leave of absence after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. https://www.city.yachiyo.lg.jp.e.art.hp.transer.com/site/sityounoheya/78276.html

Mayor Hattori has welcomed prior Tyler delegations to Japan and has also traveled to East Texas. We wish him well during his treatment and recuperation!

Thanks to the Tyler Junior College for their 2026 Corporate Membership renewal!

Corporate members partner with the Tyler Sister Cities to empower people to make a difference. These sponsorships of our sister city relationships are an international bridge for businesses to expand and help spur growth. We support and encourage opportunities that promote economic development and investment for our communities.

Become a corporate member today: https://lnkd.in/gyKugfEx.

Thanks to the University of Texas at Tyler for their 2026 Corporate Membership!

Corporate members partner with the Tyler Sister Cities to empower people to make a difference. These sponsorships of our sister city relationships are an international bridge for businesses to expand and help spur growth. We support and encourage opportunities that promote economic development and investment for our communities.

Become a corporate member today: https://tinyurl.com/25677p8j.

Here’s a look at some of the beautiful Holy Week traditions in Tyler’s sister city in Mexico, San Miguel de Allende!

This week Tyler Sister Cities board members Nancy Slough and Lane Luckie participated in Sister Cities International's Poland Roundtable. This was a valuable opportunity to share best practices, highlight active U.S.–Poland partnerships, and explore new opportunities for cultural exchange and municipal collaboration.

Learn more about Tyler's long-standing partnership with sister city Jelenia Góra, Poland: https://tinyurl.com/bdzzktje.

Our friends from Yachiyo went from one beautiful Spring setting to another! Check out the cherry blossoms in full bloom in Japan this morning! 🌸

Thanks to our Tyler media partners for helping cover the 30th visit of the Tyler-Yachiyo sister city relationship!

KLTV 7
• City of Tyler to welcome Japanese delegation in 30th trip of sister city partnership ( https://tinyurl.com/yc34n6jv )
• Tyler Sister Cities honors East Texan with bench dedication ( https://tinyurl.com/3wcuj7c8 )

KETK NBC
• City of Tyler celebrates 30 years of friendship with Japanese sister city ( https://tinyurl.com/5eej97m7 )

KYTX CBS19
• Tyler marks 30th sister city visit with delegation from Yachiyo, Japan ( https://tinyurl.com/kvttvvfx )
• Memorial bench honors Tony Tadasa's legacy of bridging East Texas and Japan ( https://tinyurl.com/fcbky3ht )

Tyler Morning Telegraph
• Tyler welcomes delegates from its sister city in Japan, celebrating 30 years of partnership and friendship ( https://tinyurl.com/mwnn74b8 )

Tyler Sister Cities honors East Texan with bench dedication The organization dedicated a memorial bench in front of the peace pole in the Rose Garden.