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Photo: the gate of Kariya Park in Mississauga
Earlier this year, I found out that Kariya City (in Aichi, Japan) is the sister city of Mississauga (in Ontario, Canada). In Kariya City, you can find Mississauga Park, and in Mississauga, you can find Kariya Park. Mississauga is right beside Toronto, so I decided to check out Kariya Park for myself!
Despite being almost right beside a huge shopping center called Square One, Kariya Park is a quiet and peaceful place that looks like a little slice of Japan, with ponds, gardens, bridges, and references to Kariya City. The squirrels, ducks, and turtles living in the park seem very relaxed and friendly - they are clearly accustomed to being around people!
According to Mississauga’s website, “The sister city initiative began in the 1950s as a way to promote communication between cities around the world” and “Mississauga established its twin city relationship with Kariya, Japan on July 7, 1981.”
The parks came later, though.The website says, “In July 1992, [Mississauga] opened Kariya Park to honour our sister city partnership. The park features Japanese-style gardens, a pavilion, cherry trees, rhododendrons and several sculptures gifted to us by Kariya City. In 2001, Kariya City opened Mississauga Park. The park features a miniature replica of Mississauga’s City Hall, a maple leaf structure and a sculpture of a bear by Canadian artist John McEwen.”
Very recently, Mississauga also announced a new sister city, Ternopil (in Ukraine), so I wonder if a new park will be in the works in the near future!
a little slice ofs.t. - a small portion or representative example of something (often with a positive or appreciative connotation)
replica - an exact or very close copy of an object, often created in the same scale or using similar materials as the original
in the works - currently being planned, developed, or prepared, but is not yet finished or released
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