In Honor of Joyo, Japan; Vancouver, WA Sister City

Did you know that Vancouver, WA has a sister city in Japan. Joyo and Vancouver have officially been sister cities since late 1995. Our local Rotary Club and theirs initiated the relationship.

The City of Joyo is between two ancient capitals of Japan: Kyoto and Nara. Joyo is only 12.64 square miles with a population of 82,220 in 2005. Joyo even has even built a replica of our Fort Vancouver. Pretty cool if you ask me.

So, to honor them I figured we should talk about a Japanese tradition.

Today, the third day of the third month is Hina Matsuri (Japanese Doll Festival or Girls’ Day)

On this day, the families with young girls decorate the ceremonial dolls and display them in a tiered platform setting. They do this to ensure their daughter’s future happiness by capturing any bad spirits. You may read all about this festival here.

I’d like to thank my friend and fellow Realtor Sarah Cooper in West Virginia for telling me about this day and helping me to realize a little about our sister city that I didn’t know much about.