On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the broadcasting of "Heidi, Girl of the Alps", the Japanese animation based on the Swiss story, a new sister city relationship was born around this iconic symbol of friendship between Switzerland and Japan.
On November 1st, 2019, the signing ceremony of the sister agreement between "Ballenberg Swiss Open-Air Museum" in Canton of Bern and the "Heidi's Village" in Yamanashi Prefecture was held in presence of Mr. Shinji Nakamaru, the President of Heidi’s Village and Japanese representatives together with Swiss representatives led by the Ambassador of Switzerland to Japan, Mr. Jean-François Paroz and Mr. Martin Michel, Director of Ballenberg Open-Air Museum. The Ballenberg Open-Air Museum (660,000 m2) demonstrates farmers’ life from the 18-19 centuries which Johanna Spyri described in her original Heidi story. There, one can experience the "Heidi's life" drawn in the animation such as traditional cheese making, wood curving, spinning and farming.