Yachiyo, Japan

Population: 205,748
Language: Japanese
Currency: Yen
6,519 miles to Tyler

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In 1991, Tyler sent the first two Texas teachers to Yachiyo City to work in junior high schools alongside JET teachers as a one-year pilot program.

The successful collaboration led to the twinning of Tyler and Yachiyo in 1992 and a long-standing ALT Program.

Twinning ceremonies were held in Tyler in May 1992 and in Yachiyo City in August of that year.

Over the course of the past three decades, a strong relationship between the two cities has developed resulting in a coveted trip rotation schedule shared between the two cities, usually coinciding with the rose festival activities occurring in Tyler and in Yachiyo. These biennial trips aim to increase collaborations between both cities by keeping city contacts current and bringing representatives from business and educational entities in both cities together.

Additional delegations have also traveled between Yachiyo and Tyler, including visits by the Yachiyo Boys and Girls Choir, the Tyler Junior College Dance Team, as well as visits by various representatives from each of our cities. As a result, many economic, educational and business partnerships have formed. 

Yachiyo’s beautiful Keisei Rose Garden houses a famous café, selectively using 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 occurring annually in Tyler, many of which are centered around their Rose Garden.

To date, there have been 29 official trips (15 from Tyler, 14 from Yachiyo) between the two cities, resulting in 783 community members from both cities (430 travelers from Tyler, 353 travelers from Yachiyo) collaborating via our Sister City relationship.

49 teachers from East Texas have lived in Yachiyo, working with the Board of Education, team teaching with over 300 Yachiyo teachers to date. Over the years that the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) program has been in place, over 1,000 Japanese students have studied English with East Texas teachers each year. Learn more →