Did you know that…
In the Tabacarie park in Constanta, just a few hundred meters from the Parc hotel in the Mamaia resort, there is a "Japanese stone lantern" donated by the local administration of the city of Yokohama in Japan following its twinning with the city of Constanta in October 1982. On the plaque of at the base of the monument was written: "From the president of the Yokohama-Constanta Friendship Committee, M. Ariyama on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the signing of the twinning document between the two cities".
In the book "133 years of Romania - Japan relations", Ion Scumpieru, the former Minister Counselor at the Romanian Embassy in Tokyo describes in detail the events of the close connection between Romania and the "Land of the Rising Sun".
"The brotherhood proclamation was signed on October 12, 1977 by the two mayors, Gheorghe Trandafir (mayor of Constanta) and I. Asukata (mayor of Yokohama). The Romanian ambassador to Tokyo was also present at the ceremony. The document says: "The twinning between the two cities contributes not only to the strengthening of friendly relations and collaboration between Romania and Japan, but also to the consolidation of peace in the world... The two cities will make exchanges in the fields of culture, education and economy... The parties express the conviction that through this fraternity the knowledge between the two cities and their citizens will be promoted". Constanta was the first city in Eastern Europe and the eighth city in the world, with which Yokohama was twinned.
... In Constanta, they had a meeting with the mayor Gheorghe Trandafir and other representatives of the municipal town hall, after which the guests visited the port, the shipyard, as well as the seaside resorts. The delegation was also invited to visit the Murfatlar Wine Resort. From the notes published, later, in the Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper by some members of the delegation, it appears that the Japanese were impressed by the warm welcome given by the hosts, who were happy that they were able to make a first impression of Romania, as a communist country ; to know the economic and touristic possibilities of the city of Constanta.
... Yokohama is located in Tokyo Bay, not far from the capital of Japan. It has a surface area of 437.38 square kilometers and a population of 3.7 million inhabitants, which places it in second place after Tokyo. With a history of about 150 years, Yokohama has become one of the main maritime and commercial ports of the country.
... Due to the good relations between the two cities, the Constanta Municipal Council gave the name Yokohama to a street in the city itself.