Our Sister City relationship with Uji City was officially formalized on July 1, 1990 by Mayor Phil Gaglardi. The purpose of the twinning promotes cultural awareness, economic development and tourism.

The Sister City relationship is well supported by the Kamloops Japanese Canadian Association and Thompson Rivers University, International Division, who have a very strong partnership with Kyoto Bunkyo College in Uji City. Our agreement supports alternating visits between the two cities. Kamloops hosted Uji in 2015 and in 2019 a delegation from Kamloops will visit Uji City.

As part of the Sister City relationship, the City of Kamloops interviews and hires Assistant English Teachers to stay and teach in Uji. The Assistant English Teachers (AETs) sign one to three year contracts to assist teachers in the Uji School system for teaching children in grades 5 through 9. The AETs that return to Kamloops say that the opportunity to live and experience the culture in Uji has made a huge impact on their lives.

Kamloops annually hosts a delegation from the Uji Junior High School system in the late summer. The group generally stays for three days and the itinerary includes canoeing, horseback riding, visiting popular destinations in the area and getting a big dose of our Kamloops hospitality.

Both cities support cultural exchange groups that have visited each city, often by welcoming a visit to City Hall and being introduced to the Mayor.