Canberra Nara Sister Cities Brochure - English ... - ACT Government

EducationSince the early days of theCanberra-Nara Sister Cityrelationship, one of the strongestlinks has been through regulareducational exchanges. There arenow many ‘twinned’ Canberraand Nara schools and a rangeof teachers have benefited frominternational teacher exchangeprograms with Nara.SportSport has an important place inthe ongoing relationship betweenCanberra and Nara, with football,softball, martial arts and basketballplaying major roles. Many teamstravel between Canberra and Narafor sporting exchanges.The Canberra-Nara Sister CityCommittee was formed to continuethe process of facilitating contact andfriendship in all areas, suggesting andinitiating new projects and advisingthe ACT Government on ways toeffectively support contacts betweenthe two communities.The Canberra community can play apart through the ‘Friends of Nara’, opento every person interested in promotinginternational friendship through theCanberra-Nara Sister City Program.C a n b e r r a n a r aSister CitiesNara’s main industry revolves aroundtourism. Nara enjoys a large inflowof domestic and international tourists,who help to support the thriving,traditional craft industries and sakeproduction. Nara is also committed topreserving its natural environment.Contact usCanberra Nara Sister City,GPO Box 158 Canberra ACT 2601Canberra Connect Call CentreT: 13 22 81 (AUS) 8am to 8pm AESTMonday to Friday for the cost of a local call.T: +61 13 22 81 (International) from overseas.www.act.gov.auwww.cmd.act.gov.au/nara_sister_city/

Canberra and Nara are sistercities. Following almost 20 years ofregular contact, the official signingof the proclamation of a sister cityrelationship occurred in Nara onOctober 26, 1993. The links wereinitiated by private citizens and thebusiness community. The ACT andNara city governments continue tofoster and encourage the city to cityfriendship.Today, we have a vibrant relationshipwith regular and increasing linksbetween schools, cultural andsporting organisations, Rotary clubs,professional associations, businessesand governments.The strength of the friendship wasnever more evident than in 2003when the people of Nara contributedgenerously to Canberra’s post-bushfireappeal.Arts, Culture & SocietyNara and Canberra are rich in culture,heritage and contemporary arts. Naraprides itself on the finest samplesof arts and architecture that reachback 1300 years when it was Japan’sfirst permanent capital. Testimonyto its uniqueness is the inclusion ofeight sites on the United Nation’sworld heritage list: the temples Todaiji,Kofuku-ji, Gango-ji, Yakushi-ji,Toshodai-ji, the Kasuga Grand Shrine,Kasuga-yama Hill Primeval Forest,and the Heijo Palace Site. Closelyrelated to these are Nara’s traditionalfestivals, forming an important part ofthe cultural calendar.Nara is famous for traditional arts andcrafts, including textiles, calligraphy,traditional painting and ceramics,and the production of exquisite inks,brushes and paper.Canberra has a lively art scene withstudios, workshops, exhibition spaces,theatres, galleries and museumsshowcasing Australia’s multiculturalfabric.Sister City cultural exchanges includeexhibitions, children’s art, bands andchoirs.Canberra Nara Park has beendeveloped on the banks of Lake BurleyGriffin to symbolise the friendshipbetween the cities. The Park providesa perfect setting for the gift of twostone lanterns and a memorial stonefrom the citizens of Nara to Canberra.Canberra Nara Park also hosts theannual Canberra Nara Candle Festivalheld in October. The Festival boastsa display of thousands of floatingcandles and entertainment, food andcultural activities to celebrate the sistercity relationship.Nara Grove, a stand of Australiantrees and shrubs, is situated on BlackMountain Peninsula across the lakefrom Nara Park and commemoratesvisits of Nara delegations toCanberra.TourismCanberra and Nara are bothpopular tourist destinations,Canberra as the modern, youngnational capital of Australia andNara as the ancient capital ofJapan. Canberra is now rated asone of the fastest growing touristdestinations in Australia. Naraattracts millions of visitors eachyear.Major attractions in Canberra• Canberra Nara Park &Canberra Nara CandleFestival• Floriade (September/October)• National Multicultural Festival• Parliament House• Australian War Memorial• Australian National BotanicGardens• National Science andTechnology Centre(Questacon)• National Gallery of Australia• Old Parliament House/National Portrait Gallery• National Museum of Australia• National Capital ExhibitionMajor Attractions in Nara:• Eight World Heritage listed sites• Nara National Museum• Nara Centennial Hall• Nara Prefectural Museum• Nara City Museum ofPhotography• Shoso-in Treasure Repository• Many Festivals• Nara City Office• Nara-Machi historic village• Isuien GardenIn addition to these, Nara has manybeautiful parks and gardens includingNara Park, famous for its deer.BusinessCanberra is a city of the future, excellingin smart, clean, technology-basedindustries that take advantage of thenational capital’s access to researchand development institutions, worldclass communications infrastructureand a highly educated workforce.• Black Mountain Tower(Telstra Tower)• Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve