The City of Hiroshima has established sister city and friendship city ties with six cities overseas, and in 2001, designated Sister and Friendship City Days in honor of each city. Citizen-initiated exchange events are held around these days each year to further expand inter-city exchange and promote friendship.

Hanover Day

　On May 29, 2022, the Hanover Day 2022 Executive Committee hosted an event to commemorate Hanover Day at Fureai Plaza on the first floor of Motomachi Credo. This was the first time in three years that the event was held outdoors, as it had not been held for the past two years due to the spread of the new coronavirus. Although it was the first time to hold the event outdoors, the weather was fine and the event was facilitated by Hiroshima Messengers, who were selected through an open application process.
　In the hands-on/exhibition area, many visitors enjoyed the traditional tea ceremony of the Ueda Soko school, which has close ties with Hanover. Also, visitors, especially children, enjoyed taking commemorative photos of the "Conference Bike", a rare 7-seater bicycle from Hanover.
　The stage event opened with a German music concert featuring violinist Masaki Ueno and clarinetist Naoe Oku, who performed pieces that have a connection with Germany. A commemorative ceremony followed, with remarks by the organizers and others, and a video message from the mayor of Hanover was shown on a large screen. Afterwards, the International Youth Association Hiroshima and the Hiroshima Hanover Association presented on a large screen the various records that led to the sister city affiliation between Hiroshima and Hanover, which has been building up youth exchange activities for 50 years.
　Afterwards, Yoshihiko Ueda, oboe, and Shinri Aratani, piano, performed German music and folk songs with light-hearted talks to the audience as the second part of the German Music Concert. Next, Hiroshima Messengers Hiroaki Shirai and Yoko Shiroishi introduced the differences between life in Hanover and Japan on a large screen, and gave a simple quiz about Hanover as part of the exchange activity with the visitors.
　The program concluded with the third part of the German music concert, featuring Takashi Okita on viola and Chiharu Okita on piano, who mesmerized the audience with a performance of familiar pieces.
　About 150 visitors were able to enjoy and become more familiar with Hannover and German culture through a wide variety of programs.

Montreal Day

　On July 10, 2022, the Montreal Day commemorative event was held at the 6th floor multi-plaza of the Fukuya Hiroshima Ekimae Store. Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, Canada, and hosted the Montreal Olympics in 1976. It is also known as the location of the International Jazz Festival.
　This was the first time in three years that the event was held due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The venue was crowded with approximately 250 visitors, who enjoyed the display of panels and commemorative items that conveyed the history of exchange activities with Hiroshima City. There was also an exhibition and sales booth of Canadian specialty products.
　The opening ceremony included greetings from the organizers, the reading out of a message from the Mayor of Montreal, and speeches by the guests of honor: the Acting Representative of the Government of Quebec in Japan and a Counsellor from the Embassy of Canada in Japan.
　Shoko Hashimoto and Rie Yamashita, Hiroshima Messengers who also served as hosts for the entire event, then gave a presentation titled "Introduction to Montreal and Canada", incorporating their own experiences during their stay in the city and conveying the charm of the area in a way that was easy for the audience to understand.
　For the commemorative performance, saxophonist Andy Wulf and guitarist Kofu Suwa performed live jazz music. The audience was filled with enthusiastic fans, some of whom came from outside of the prefecture, who all enjoyed the wonderful performance.
　At the end of the event, a fun raffle was held with maple syrup, books related to Canada, and various goods as prizes.
　In the visitors' questionnaires, we received many comments by people who were moved by the event, especially the live jazz music, such as, "It was wonderful and heartfelt," and "It cheered me up." Many of the participants also expressed their interest in exchange activities by saying, "I now know more about Montreal and Canada," and "I would definitely like to visit there." This event represented a big step forward in deepening friendship. 　About 150 visitors were able to enjoy and become more familiar with Hannover and German culture through a wide variety of programs.