Kakamigahara city is a sister city to Chuncheon city, Korea, since 2003. In 2004 an event was held to celebrate the 1st anniversary of being a sister city. The kimchi made by Japanese Koreans for the event became extremely popular. The city municipality started to promote the city using kimchi since then. The kimchi of Kakamigahara is distinctive with carrots and pine nuts from Kakamigahara. More than 50 shops sell Kakamigahara kimchi or kimchi related dishes within the city, and tastes of Korea can be enjoyed locally.