Nantong artists and Japanese visitors pose for a photo after the cultural performance. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

A delegation of 10 members from Izumi, Japan, led by the city's mayor Hiroyasu Tsuji, visited Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Nov 26 to engage in a series of cultural and tourism exchange activities.

The Japanese delegation hosted a tourism promotional conference, during which the director of the city's Industrial Promotion Office provided a detailed introduction to Izumi's geography, cultural and tourism offerings, and preparations for receiving visitors during the 2025 World Expo.

Representatives from Nantong's travel agencies also delivered speeches, introducing the arrangement of travel routes to Izumi and emphasizing the high demand for study tours and wellness tourism products among local tourists. Both sides discussed the potential for future interactions and in-depth cooperation between the two regions' tourist markets.

After the promotional conference, the delegation watched a cultural performance prepared by the Nantong Art Theater. They also took the opportunity to make preparations for the upcoming joint performance between Izumi and Nantong. Earlier this year, Izumi invited Nantong to send artists to perform alongside the Izumi taiko drummers at the upcoming expo.

Following this, the Japanese visitors toured the Nantong Museum to learn about the life and achievements of Zhang Jian (1853-1926), a renowned patriot, industrial magnate, educator, and philanthropist in Nantong, as well as the city's history and culture.

Nantong maintains close economic and trade relations and frequent cultural exchanges with Japan, with Japan being the city's second-largest source of foreign investment and an important export destination.

In 1993, Nantong officially established a sister-city relationship with Izumi. Since then, both sides have conducted extensive cooperation in education, economy, sports, and health.