2022 "Meet Our Friendship Cities in Taoyuan" Exhibition: Miyazaki, Japan

Over the past seven years, Taoyuan City has continued to strengthen its international exchanges, raise its international visibility, and gradually enhance the international perspective of the public and private sectors to create business opportunities. To date, it has forged alliances with 33 cities around the world, laying a solid foundation for city diplomacy. In addition to sharing governance expertise, it also maintains ties through various exchange activities.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, international cities have only been able to communicate with each other online through video conferencing. The "Meet Our Friendship Cities in Taoyuan" Exhibition had participation from 14 sister cities and friendly cities from five countries in Asia, the Americas and Europe. Commemorative gifts and wonderful products from various countries were on display, enabling visitors to the Taoyuan exhibition to enjoy a taste of cities overseas and feel the glow of warmth and friendship from afar.

Miyazaki Prefecture is located in the southeastern region of Kyushu and is known throughout Japan for its long hours of sunshine and many sunny days. It also has a beautiful coastline and a pleasant climate. The warm and rich natural environment nurtures the simple, gentle regional personality, earning it the soubriquet “Japan’s sunny place.” The Kojiki (“Records of Ancient Matters,” an early Japanese chronicle of legends and semi-historical accounts) records that several gods descended to earth here, and the many ancient Japanese legends gave rise to the establishment of the Aoshima Shrine and the Eda Shrine.

Taoyuan City and Miyazaki Prefecture signed a friendship exchange agreement on October 5, 2017, to deepen mutual understanding and promote development.

During the Taoyuan Agriculture Expo from April 16 to 29, 2018, a booth dedicated to Miyazaki Prefecture was set up in the international zone of the expo to promote the prefecture’s renowned beef. Taoyuan restaurants used Miyazaki beef and Taiwanese beef to make stewed beef soup and braised beef soup and invited members of the public to sample them and vote for their favorite. The mascot of Miyazaki Prefecture won the vote and an award.

Kagura is a Shinto dance that has been practiced since ancient times. The performance itself is a sacrificial ritual to the Shinto deities, used to inquire about harvests and fishing catches and to pray for the averting of disaster. Kagura is a common practice in Japan, where local people are still very fond of it.

Every year in November, Miyazaki Prefecture holds a nighttime kagura event in the Takachiho area where dancers wear masks and perform through the night. Called kamen, the masks themselves are seen as deities and so are worshipped. They represent fertility, wealth, and marriage.

These three dogs are named Hikun, Muchan, and Kakun, respectively.

They wear clothing printed with the features of Miyazaki, citrus tamurana, palm trees, and chickens, and their main mission is to promote tourism in Miyazaki.         

The wooden bento box absorbs excess moisture and retains heat and aromas, so the sweetness of the rice comes through even after it cools. The box also prevents rice from spoiling in summer or becoming too hard in winter and gives off a delightful woody aroma. Wooden bento boxes are often given as gifts between friends.

Woven goods are auspicious products made by traditional craftsmen using straw, mainly used to decorate the home and pray for its safety. Weaving skills have been handed down for more than 60 years in Miyazaki Prefecture. The knotted rice rope symbolizes mutual protection.