Knoxville has built relationships with many other cities — but very few can be called our sister. According to Sister Cities International, Muroran in Hokkaido, Japan is one of the cities that has that honor. Let’s take a virtual tour.

More about Muroran

Muroran is a port city in Hokkaido, boasting beautiful views of the sea. It also plays an important industrial role, as there are cement factories and steel mills in the city.

Foodies may recognize “Muroran curry ramen” — a style of ramen with thick noodles and a bit more spice than you might find in typical Japanese curries. And you guessed it, it originates from Muroran.

We were a little surprised that the "American Train" was a literal train. | Photo by spaceaero2 via Wikimedia Commons

Knoxville’s relationship with Muroran

According to Muroran City’s website, the sister city relationship was established on January 16, 1991 — but our sibling relationship goes back a little further.

In 1988, Mayor Victor Ashe and a representative from the Chamber of Commerce visited Muroran on the "American Train" — a US tour through Japan to promote trade. The officials liked what they saw and proposed we become sister cities.

We still maintain this relationship to this day. In 2018, when an earthquake hit Muroran, Knoxville raised funds. And visitors from Muroran make frequent visits to Knoxville to see the sights.

Other sister cities

Muroran is one of Knoxville's seven sister cities, according to Sister Cities International. The other six are:

Chelm, Poland
Chengdu, China
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Larissa, Greece
Neuquen, Argentina
Yesan County, South Korea.