Miyazu, Japan

Moshi, Tanzania

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Miyazu:

The relationship between the people of Miyazu, Japan and Delray Beach, Florida began at the turn of the century when the Florida East Coast Railway helped Jo Sakai establish the Yamato Colony. A few Japanese farmers from Japan gathered together to cultivate the ground along the railroad near Boca Raton. Among them was George Sukeji Morikami, whose hometown was Miyazu and who later donated his land to the County of Palm Beach - which is now a county park and contains The Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens. The Morikami Museum provides a unique and strong tie between Delray Beach and the people of Japan.

Miyazu, Japan is located on the Sea of Japan coast on the main island of Japan. Like Delray Beach, it is a popular resort town with sandy beaches and fine swimming.  While the Miyazu web page is in Japanese, you will find it interesting, and they will be adding english pages soon.  Click on the sign of Miyazu at right.

Miyazu is best known for Amanohashidate (a floating bridge to the heavens) and is located in Miyazu City.  Amanohashidate is a year-round sightseeing spot and is one of "the scenic trio in Japan".   It is a sand-bar, 2 miles long, about 200 feet wide and is covered with some 8,000 pine trees.  It has formed naturally over thousands of years.

Its view is nothing but mystery.  Each vista possesses its own special atmosphere.

Likewise, each season has it own special attractions. For those who like swimming, summer is the best time for visiting, for those who like quiet, reflective walks, spring and autumn are beautiful.  And winter offers unparalleled beauty, featuring the white brilliance of the snow against the contrasting green of the pines.  Over two million people visit Amanohashidate each year.  To see more of Amanohashidate, click on the Wisdom Ring stone-lantern  on the right.    While this site is written in Japanese, the pictures are universal and beautiful.  You can see a replica of the Wisdom Ring, donated by Miyazu in honor of the 20th anniversary of the museum, at the Morikami.

Miyazu used to be a castle town and developed into one of the most prominent ports along the Japan Sea coast.  It is dotted with many notable and picturesque places like the Romanesque Catholic Church (the second oldest church in Japan), as well as several magnificent Shrines and Temples. 

The prestigious KONO Shrine and NARIAI-JI Temple are two examples.    

For more pictures of Miyazu please go here:  PICTURES 
While this site is also written in Japanese, you will find it easy to use.  Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "next" button.  You will thoroughly enjoy what you find.

The Sister Cities Committee of Delray Beach works to develop programs and share interests with Miyazu through projects that encourage schools, cultural, professional and general citizen involvement.  As Amanohashidate is a symbol for a bridge to heaven, Sister City participants can build a personal bridge for increasing international understanding.

Our two communities have, in the past, had city officials and citizens exchange visits and have recently established exchange programs.  In 1998, Delray Beach Sister Cities began its Youth Exchange and sent 5 students from Atlantic Community High School to Miyazu for 5 days.  November of 1999, Miyazu sent 5 students
to Delray.  Most recently, the Business Exchange project sent 4 people representing business and government on a fact finding mission to explore possibilities for future partnership exchanges in trade, education, social and community services and government.

Moshi, Tanzania

In 1999, Delray Beach Sister Cities began its first quest to add a partnership link with another country.  An organizational committee was formed to explore establishing a Sister City with a city in Tanzania, East Africa.  One of the reasons for this particular partnership is because Delray Beach already has trade ties with Tanzania.  The partnership came to fruition in 2000. For more information and pictures of our recent trip to Moshi, GO HERE.

Moshi-Municipality is the administrative, commercial, industrial, agricultural and tourist center of Kilimanjaro Region and to a great extent, the entire North East Tanzania.  It is an attractive and exhilarating municipality built on the fertile southern Slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is located on volcanic rock which is overlain by tropical soils and few rock outcrops in the town center.

With a population of 96,838 residents according to the 1988 National Population Census, it is the ninth largest town in the country. Assuming an annual growth rate of 6.2% recorded during that census, the present population is estimated to be 190,000 people plus an additional 50,000 day residents who work within the municipality but spend nights in the surrounding rich and developed hinterland. The indigenous Tribe is the "Wachagga".

The mean annual temperature is 25°C.  The coldest month is July with an average temperature of 17°C and the warmest is December with an average of 34°C. The municipality experiences two rainy seasons: short rains from October to December and long rains from March to May with a mean annual rainfall of 550mm. The municipality has neither record of severe droughts nor serious floods.  It has never experienced a frost or hurricanes.

The world famous Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) is only 30 minutes drive from Moshi and halfway between Amsha and Moshi.  Moshi Airport within the municipal boundaries has two tarmac runways long enough to serve light aircraft up to the size of a Fokker Friendship.

The municipality is well served by the National Highway from Dar-Es-Salaam to Nairobi and more than 100 buses and lorries ply the roads daily to and from other parts of Tanzania and outside the country.  The Central Line owned by Tanzania Railways Corporation operates passenger and cargo services to the coastal municipality of Tanga and the city of Dar-Es-Salaam to the east as well as the western municipality of Amsha. 

Tanzania currency is based on the decimal system and the basic unit is a shilling that is divided into 100 cents. The Bank of Tanzania prints coins and notes of different denominations.

Moshi is 3 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (applicable to East Africa as a whole.)

The history of the municipality dates to1892 when the German colonialists established a military camp at Kolila in present-day Old Moshi Division of Moshi District Council on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Following extension of the railway line from Tanga to the foothills of the mountain some 10 kms from Old Moshi, the township started to develop at its present location in 1911.

It grew during British rule and was selected headquarters of the Northern Province. In 1926 it was designated a Township Authority following enactment of the Township Ordinance in 1925. In 1937 it had a population of 1,000 inhabitants which grew to reach 8,048 people in 1948. In 1956 it attained the status of a Town Council and a population of 13,725 residents the following year. During the 1967 National Population Census the town had a population of 26,804 people which increased to 52,223 inhabitants in 1978.

Following enactment of the Decentralization of Government Administration (Interim Provisions) Act, 1972, the local government system in the country was abolished in the hope of fostering rural development and moving powers of decision making from the national capital, Dar-Es-Salaam. Ironically, urban areas received lesser attention resulting into a deteriorating physical environment. This necessitated resuscitation of an efficient and democratic system of local government through enactment of the Urban Councils of 1978 and later the Local Government (Urban Authorities) of 1982.

The boundaries of the town were extended in 1979. The town was designated a Municipal Council in 1988.

The Municipal Council comprises of 20 councilors, sixteen of whom are elected and four nominated for the special seats for women by the respective political parties dependent on the number of seats won during the preceding Local Government elections. The elected members represent the 15 wards of the municipality. The Member of Parliament representing Moshi Urban constituency is a councilor by virtue of his position. The nominated members specifically represent the women population in a deliberate bid to improve gender balance in the policy making body.

Elections are based on universal suffrage under the democratic principle of "one man, one vote" after every five years. The first Full Council meeting soon after the elections is required by law to elect the Mayor, also known as Municipal Director,   the Deputy Mayor, Committee Chairpersons and members of the various committees.   The Mayor holds office for five years while the Deputy Mayor, Committee Chairpersons and committee members are elected annually though liable for re-election.

The municipality has a wide range of industries dealing with coffee curing, match production, pharmaceuticals, beverages and foodstuffs. Along the slopes of the mountain are coffee, barley and maize plantations as well as dairy and flower farms. To the south are the Tanganyika Planters Company (TPC) sugar plantations and the Japanese sponsored Lower Moshi Paddy Irrigation Project.

Tarmac roads and other requisite amenities coupled with its favorable situation relative to markets in the country and the world over single the municipality as an obvious choice for potential investors in commerce, industry, agriculture and tourism. There is also an active local branch of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and a pragmatic Moshi Chamber of Commerce.

Moshi is virtually the center of the Northern Tourist Circuit that stretches from the relaxed coastal Municipality of Tanga in the east across the Usambara and Pare Mountains to the Serengeti National Park to the west. It also offers reliable services for self and chauffeur driven cars to tourists who want to discover the world famous colorful, exotic, rare and impressive species of animals and birds in their ecosystems.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is located only 3°S of the Equator and derives its name from a local phrase which literally means "that which cannot be conquered". Surrounding the mountain is a treasury of wildlife that together with the mountain constitutes Kilimanjaro National Park.

As a member of the Delray Beach Sister Cities Program, you will receive a certificate of membership, periodic general information on Sister Cities, notice of all programs and events, and opportunities to volunteer and participate in YOUR Sister Cities Program. This is your official invitation to get involved!

For more information write to: City of Delray Beach Sister Cities Program - 100 NW 1st Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444

- OR -

Send us your NAME - ADDRESS - CITY - STATE - ZIP And TELEPHONE.  Indicate the membership category and amount your enclosing - Make your check payable to:

Send to:
City of Delray Beach, Sister Cities Program
100 NW 1st Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33444