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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Globe monument celebrates Taiwan-Japan relations
A globe-shaped monument marking the locations of Hualien City and Takachiho, Japan, is pictured in Takachiho Gorge on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Hualien City Office
By Wang Chun-chi and Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter, with staff writer
A globe-shaped monument celebrating friendly relations between Hualien City and Takachiho, Japan, has been unveiled at Takachiho Gorge.
The monument highlights the locations of Hualien and Takachiho on a globe, and a board in front of the installation displays their sister-city agreement, signed in 2019, in Mandarin and Japanese.
Takachiho Mayor Muneyuki Kai and Takachiho Japanese-Taiwan Association president Tetsuaki Sato invited Hualien Mayor Wei Chia-hsien （魏嘉賢） to the unveiling ceremony on Saturday in Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Japan.
The gorge is a popular tourist attraction for Taiwanese, and it is hoped that by erecting the monument there more people can see the profound friendship between the two sides, Kai said.
Tourists visiting the area can rent a boat to ride through the gorge or ride a Takachiho Amaterasu Railway train around the scenic valley. They can also visit the Amanoiwato Shrine, attend the Takachiho Night Kagura Festival featuring traditional music and dance performances, or view the “sea of clouds” at the Kunimigaoka overlook.
Kai said he regretted that he was unable to visit Hualien in 2020 to attend the unveiling of an art installation celebrating the first anniversary of the cities’ sisterhood due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said that the closeness between them “would not be affected by the distance.”
Wei said a boat-themed art installation was set up in Hualien’s Beibin Seashore Park （北濱公園） to symbolize that the cities “are in the same boat” and can overcome the pandemic together.
He said that he was “proud to be able to witness the inauguration of the monument” during his last visit to the town as a mayor.
He is to step down at the end of this month at the end of his second term.
Wei invited Kai to visit Hualien next year, adding that he would continue to monitor exchanges between the cities and hopes that their relationship will last a long time.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
