On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the Tyler City Council celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Sister City relationship between Tyler and Yachiyo, Japan.
Yachiyo was officially recognized as Tyler’s second Sister City community in 1992.
Back in 1991, Tyler sent the first two Texas teachers to Yachiyo to teach in junior high schools. They worked alongside Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) teachers as part of a one-year pilot program. This successful collaboration led to the twinning of Tyler and Yachiyo the following year. Since then, a long-standing Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) Program has been in place.
Apart from education, Yachiyo and Tyler share other similarities. Both are medium-sized cities located near major metropolitan areas, with Tyler close to Dallas and Yachiyo close to Tokyo. The most significant connection between the two cities is that Yachiyo is a major agricultural producer of roses and has its own rose garden.
Over the years, a strong relationship has developed between Tyler and Yachiyo, resulting in a shared biannual trip rotation schedule between cities. These trips usually coincide with the Rose Festival activities occurring in Tyler and Yachiyo. They aim to increase collaborations between both cities by keeping city contacts current and bringing representatives from business and educational entities together. However, regular trips between the two communities were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until the international travel bans of both countries were lifted. This also delayed celebrating the 30th anniversary of the twinning of our cities, which occurred in 2022.
In November 2023, a small recreational group from Tyler traveled to Yachiyo, which included Jennifer Rader, the current president of Tyler Sister Cities. During the visit, Rader was presented with a commemorative award from the mayor of Yachiyo, celebrating 30 years of being Sister Cities.
President Eisenhower in 1956 established the Sister City partnerships to promote peace and diplomatic ties. Usually, two cities’ mayors decide they share similar values and work together on projects.
Tyler Sister Cities, Inc., began in 1982-83 to offer a global vision for the East Texas/Tyler community. Since then, Tyler has established four additional Sister City relationships. These include Jelenia Góra, Poland; Lo Barnechea, Chile; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; and Liberia, Costa Rica.
Membership in the Tyler Sister Cities program is open to interested people who seek to encourage international citizen diplomacy through informal community exchanges and educational, cultural and economic partnerships.
Tyler Sister Cities 