Kranj Twinned with the Japanese City of Fukui
The City of Kranj has established a twinning agreement with the Japanese city of Fukui. Kranj has thus become the first European city with which Fukui has twinned, and the second Slovenian city to have a partnership with any Japanese city. The signing ceremony in Fukui, a city of 260,000 inhabitants on Honshu Island, was attended by about one hundred guests, including the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo, Jurij Rifelj, and the Honorary Consul of Slovenia in Japan, Tetsuji Shindo.
The delegation of the City of Kranj (CoK) began its official visit to Japan late last week in Osaka, where it presented the project Inspiring Solutions for Sustainable Communities together with the Olympic Committee of Slovenia and the Photographic Association of Slovenia at the world’s largest international exhibition, EXPO. From Osaka, the delegation travelled to Fukui, where Mayor Matjaž Rakovec, at a formal ceremony, signed the twinning agreement with Mayor of Fukui Shigeru Saigyo.
"Kranj and Fukui have developed a valuable friendship, connecting young people, educational institutions, culture, tourism, and sports. Such cooperation broadens our view of the world. By building connections, fostering understanding, and showing respect, we advance as a society. Today’s signing of the twinning agreement is an excellent example of this,” said Mayor Rakovec, who exchanged municipal flags with his Japanese counterpart on this special occasion. Mayor Saigyo expressed gratitude to all who helped strengthen the ties between the municipalities, emphasizing that twinning is a wonderful opportunity for cooperation in various fields, enabling both communities to grow.
The signing was also attended by Slovenian Ambassador in Japan Jurij Rifelj, who said:“Today, more than ever, we need people-to-people contacts to overcome the negative trends we perceive in the international environment. Building ties between Kranj and Fukui is one of many building blocks paving the way to a better and brighter world – one we want and are obliged to pass on to future generations. I am convinced that we are witnessing the birth of a new success story in the mosaic of Slovenian-Japanese relations.”
Among the speakers was also Klemen Malovrh, Director of the Institute for Tourism and Culture Kranj (ZTKK), who noted that a little over 13,000 Japanese tourists visit Slovenia every year, but only about a hundred stay overnight in Kranj, showing much room for growth. On the occasion of the twinning, ZTKK prepared a special brochure about Kranj in Japanese, and the Tourist Information Center in Kranj dedicated its display window to Japanese culture and the city of Fukui. Over the weekend, the Japanese hosts organized an autumn festival inspired by events in Kranj, which they had observed during their visit last year. At the festival, a promotional tourism video about Kranj was screened on Fukui’s main square. The two cities also recently collaborated on a special digital book for presentation at the World Expo in Osaka.
“This is the true charm of our cooperation – that we learn from each other and become even better in the process,” emphasized Mayor Rakovec at the signing ceremony.
Activities in Fukui
During the visit to the twinned city, Tomaž Lanišek, Head of the Office for Development and Smart Community at MOK, gave a lecture at Fukui University to an audience of fifty students on Kranj as a smart and green city. The delegation also visited the Fukui Tourism Association, viewed a photography exhibition about Kranj, and toured the high-tech company Kiyokawa Plating Industry. Mayor Rakovec handed over an official letter from the headmistress of Gymnasium France Prešeren Kranj to the principal of Fukui’s Secondary Economic School – the two schools already cooperate remotely – proposing future student exchanges.
Next Step: Connecting Young Cyclists
MOK began connecting with Fukui in 2022, at the initiative of then Slovenian Ambassador to Japan, Dr. Ana Polak Petrič. Fukui had hosted the Slovenian national basketball team during its preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The city wanted to maintain its ties with Slovenia and exchange experiences across different fields.
Since then, the two cities have established cooperation between elementary schools, as well as between Fukui’s Secondary Economic School and Gymnasium France Prešeren Kranj. In Kranj, a joint photography and calligraphy exhibition featuring Fukui authors was displayed in eight public institutions. Kranj students, with guidance from a Japanese chef-mentor, explored Japanese cuisine as part of the International Cuisine of Twin Cities project. Both in Kranj and Fukui, events have been held to present the twinned city, its features, and its culture to local residents. The Mayor of Fukui last year visited Kovačnica – Kranj’s business incubator – while the Mayor of Kranj got to know several Fukui entrepreneurs. One of the next steps is to connect the youth divisions of Kranj Cycling Club and Fukui Cycling Club. Interestingly, the Municipality of Fukui employs a Slovenian Japanologist who, among other things, coordinates activities related to Kranj and Slovenia in cooperation with MOK.
Kranj City Library has set up a special section on the second floor with books by Japanese authors to mark the twinning with Fukui.
Proteus at the Expo
Mayor Rakovec will conclude his official trip to Japan as part of Slovenia’s national delegation at the Slovenian National Day at EXPO 2025 in Osaka. At the world’s largest international exhibition, ZTKK and the Tular Cave Laboratory, together with the SOS Proteus Information Centre located in Kranj’s underground tunnels, will present Slovenia.
A highlight of Slovenia’s presence will be an interactive workshop during the Future of the Earth and Biodiversity theme week. On September 25, Gregor Aljančič will deliver a global message of the olm (Proteus anguinus), locally known as the “Kranj cave salamander,” as developed through a public-private partnership between MOK and the Tular Cave Laboratory at the SOS Proteus Information Centre: protecting this endangered species today means reducing pollution of drinking water on our blue planet and ensuring a healthy society of the future.