New street signs have been unveiled near the Bellevue Botanical Hardens, honoring Bellevue’s longest-running sister city relationship, Yao, Japan. The relationship began 52 years ago.
Weeks ago, Yao officials sent Mayor Lynne Robinson a photo of a corresponding sign that honors Bellevue.
The Yao signs are near the Yao Garden ion of the Botanical Garden, where a Japanese maple tree was dedicated in 2019.
The signs are located on Main Street, at the corners of 124th and 118th Avenues. These are the first such markers in Bellevue.
Bellevue’s relationship with Yao began in 1969, when a delegation from Japan visited Bellevue for the formal signing of a proclamation. According to the City of Bellevue, in 1970, Bellevue residents formed an International Cooperation Committee, which became the Bellevue Sister Cities Association.
Other sister cities of Bellevue include Hualien, Taiwan, Liepaja, Latvia, and Kladno, Czech Republic.
