There are more than 2,000 international Sister Cities in the United States. In Tennessee alone, there are nearly 40 across the state, in cities like Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga.
There’s one special connection in Athens, TN, that continues to grow 7,000 miles away.
The City of Athens formed an official partnership with Isahaya, Japan in 1985. However, the relationship between the two cities goes back even further.
In the late 1800’s, a Tennessee Wesleyan graduate became a missionary to Japan. That student founded Nagasaki Wesleyan College in Nagasaki, Japan.
During World War ||, Nagasaki was destroyed when the United States dropped an atomic bomb. Following the end of the war, a new school was started in the City of Isahaya.
Athen’s Mayor, Larry Eaton, recently visited the sister city and calls the site of the atomic bomb “humbling”.
“For me personally, probably one of the most memorable things I’ll ever get to remember is they took me to where the one of the atomic bombs was dropped, and it was very humbling to see the statues and go to Ground Zero,” said Eaton.
Eaton recently visited Isahaya, Japan in October 2025 in efforts to strengthen ties between the two cities. During his visit, Eaton and City Manager, Randy Dowling, visited Tokyo and introduced them to Athens, Tennessee. The two discussed manufacturing opportunities and visited schools in Isahaya to view their curriculum and culture.
Eaton tells Local 3 News, talks of manufacturing continues, with goals of benefiting Athens and its residents.
“it’s very rewarding, and also it gives a different perspective in our area, and also its educational, and it’s very profitable for us to bring in manufacturing companies, which is a big thing too…we strategically thought this very, very thoroughly, and wanted to make sure that we went to Japan and made an impact for the citizens of Athens, Tennessee,” said Eaton.
During Eaton’s and Dowling’s visit, the two were welcoming with dozens of American Flags and cheers from Isahaya City Hall.
In honor our nations 250th birthday, the city is inviting students in Japan to celebrate. In July, students with the Chinzei Gaukin School in Isahaya, Japan will be visiting Athens, Tennessee. The students will experience local activities such as Dollywood and Lookout Mountain.
The city of Athens has a ‘Sister City Committee’, where board members discuss programs, events and other activities to strengthen their bond. Those vents include Bento Box Class, Sushi Making and more.
“…we have two more events coming up, one in July and one in October. And July is the traditional dance, and that will be taking place when the students from Chinzen Galkin School in Ishaha, Japan will be here, and so they’ll be able to participate in that event and see how we are honoring their culture. And then in October we will be having a traditional tea ceremony when the delegation from Issa High, Japan comes over, comes over, that’ll be city officials meeting with our city officials, and it’ll be a traditional tea ceremony where the coordinators will show us how the tea is prepared and how it is presented,” said Simon Rhodes, Communications Coordinator for the City of Athens.
Eaton describes the upcoming October visit as a “very rare occasion” and is looking forward to having Isahaya city leaders in East Tennessee.
“I can say is we are very, very extremely happy that we do have a sister city here, and I would encourage any city to have assister cities like this,” said Eaton. “We want to make sure this relationship is extremely strengthened and very humbling for us to have a Sister Cities of Ishahaya, Japan.”
The Isahaya Sister City Program is also a sponsor of the 13th Knox Asian Festival in Knoxville. This year’s festival will offer 52 Asian food vendors and 130 craft vendors. You can also expect performances from Japanse Taiko Drummers from Disney World and Japanese Koto Players. You can learn more about the festival, here.
Leading up to America’s 250th birthday, Local 3 News is telling the Tennessee Valley’s chapter of the American story — from family businesses passed down through generations, to immigrants living the American dream right here in our backyard, to the farmers, teachers, and volunteers who hold this community together. Catch new stories every Tuesday on Local 3 Now, and watch the full special on July 3 at Noon on Local 3 News.