County’s cultural exchange with Sumida City in Tokyo, Japan continues to achieve new milestones. Last year, Hsinchu County invited Japanese brand Sumida Modern to take part in an international exhibition featuring the winning projects from the second annual The Dream of Craft – Taiwan Creative Crafts Design Competition. This year, the handicrafts of local Hsinchu County brand Every Day a Good Day were exhibited alongside Sumida Modern for the first time at the Tokyo Skytree in Japan, from December 6–7, 2025. Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke greatly values the development of Hsinchu County’s artistic and cultural industries, and he specially appointed Secretary-General Lee Anyu to lead a delegation representing the Hsinchu County Government, the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the Hsinchu County Cultural Foundation to visit the Sumida City Government on December 8, 2025. The delegation met with Sumida City Mayor Tooru Yamamoto, Section Chief of the Industry and Tourism Department Takehide Gunji, and others. Both sides spoke on good terms and expressed that they would deepen their exchange, and jointly promote the development of art and culture in both regions.
During the meeting, Secretary-General Lee expressed that the achievements from the current collaboration represent the initial results of a multi-year effort by both parties. At the same time, they symbolize that the collaboration is moving into its next stage. She pointed out that the seeds for this collaboration were planted all the way back in 2023, after a meeting with Section Chief Gunji, which was facilitated by the outstanding and deeply impactful Hsinchu local Chen Tien-Shun, chief executive of Grand Vision Co., Ltd. Lee extended a special thanks to Section Chief Gunji, pointing out that he had introduced the Sumida Modern brand as the pride of Sumida City during that initial meeting, precisely when Hsinchu County was promoting the development of cultural and creative brands. Sumida Modern was a critical model for Hsinchu County to learn from, and it inspired Hsinchu County to create its own cultural brand: Every Day a Good Day. Since then, Hsinchu County has also hosted a national culture and craft competition: The Dream of Craft. The many of the pieces that traveled to Sumida City for the current exhibition were prize-winning entries discovered through this competition.
Secretary-General Lee emphasized that this visit was also intended to promote the release of the monograph d design travel HSINCHU. This publication reveals Hsinchu County’s unique cultural treasure trove, especially its deeply rooted Hakka culture. She mentioned that when many people bring up Hsinchu, they think of the Science Park and the technology industry, but Hsinchu County actually has a deep cultural well—from crafts and artist groups to all categories of cultural and creative events—which have all taken root locally over an extended period. The County Government hopes that by continuing to study Sumida City, it can incorporate cultural and creative transformation into its own circular economic model, making Hsinchu County famous not only for technology, but also turning culture and creativity into important highlights for the city.
Sumida City Mayor Tooru Yamamoto pointed out that Hsinchu is a city that has combined technology and culture, and its cultural treasure trove is exceptionally enchanting. He was delighted by the previous invitation to exhibit Sumida City’s crafts in Taiwan, and has now reciprocated by inviting Hsinchu County’s craft brand to exhibit at the Skytree, representing the concrete results and warmth of the two parties’ exchange. He looks forward to future collaborations between Hsinchu County and Sumida City in the areas of craft creation, tourism promotion, and cultural exchange.
Chu Shu-Min, Director General of the Hsinchu County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau, pointed out that Hsinchu County Government and the Hsinchu County Cultural Association have actively created an international cultural network in recent years. In the future, they will continue to display Hsinchu County’s culture and crafts to the world through curation, art exchange, and cultural brand collaborations, continuing to shine in the international arena.
Regarding the current exchange, Secretary-General Lee expressed that Hsinchu County has been building connections with Sumida City for over 4 years, and this time, they brought a delegation and results to Sumida City in person. For Hsinchu County, this is only the completion of the first step. Sumida City Mayor Tooru Yamamoto also wholeheartedly awaits the continued flourishing development of Hsinchu County and Sumida City—two places that are rich in history and cultural capital. In the future, both sides will maintain close collaboration in the areas of crafts and culture, promoting the joint growth of both parties’ cultural industries, and striding toward broader development.