Machu Picchu's new twin

Twinning with a city or town in another country is a favourite way for municipal governments to try to promote themselves on the world stage, yet Otama in Fukushima Prefecture in Japan has done better than most by twinning with Machu Picchu, a world heritage site in Peru featuring the ruins of an 500-year old sanctuary high in the Peruvian Andes.

A testament to the longstanding history of Japanese immigration to Peru in the last century, authorities in Machu Picchu agreed to the twinning after turning down many other requests. According to the Japan Times, the arrangement is meant to honour Yokichi Nouchi (1895-1969), who was born in Otama and contributed substantially to tourism development in Machu Picchu after immigrating to Peru in the early 20th century. 

Congratulations to both parties in the twinning!