In September, the delegation led by Mayor Josef did not only visit cultural institutions, as you can read HERE. Another key focus was the exchange aimed at promoting economic relations. In this context, the delegation visited DeNA Co., Ltd., a company that, among other things, is committed to creating new community-oriented venues and programs to revitalize the surrounding neighborhood and foster community cohesion.

Among other places, the delegation visited the Yokohama Bay Stars’ baseball stadium, operated by DeNA, and the newly built Wonderia in the Basegate complex. There, they were able to experience the interactive attraction, which is brought to life through colorful projection mapping. In the vibrant rooms filled with animated fantasy scenes inspired by nature, visitors can use the Wonderia app to enhance their experience with AR features by collecting animals hidden throughout the attraction and earning points.

The Christmas market at the Redbrick Warehouse has been a long-standing tradition there, and DeNA organized a market in the Kannai neighborhood for the first time to revitalize the area and offer local families more experiences. For this market, DeNA had requested support from the City of Frankfurt and received not only approval but also a video message from the mayor. The greeting was produced in collaboration with TCF (Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main) and featured beautiful images from the Frankfurt Christmas market.

Further collaboration was discussed for this year, which will hopefully continue. Both sides have proposed ideas that could become established traditions in the coming years and, despite the great distance, bring the citizens of both cities closer together at Christmas. It is also possible that the collaboration will extend beyond the Christmas market and help strengthen the economies on both sides.