YOKOHAMA – An exhibition highlighting historical exchanges between Yokohama and Shanghai began Wednesday at the Yokohama Archives of History to mark the 40th anniversary of a friendship agreement between the two port cities.

The event, to run through July 7, will showcase 140 items mainly from the time when Yokohama Port opened in 1859 to the early Showa Era so visitors can follow the footprints of those who came and went between the cities.

The exhibits include furniture used by trader Kobee Abe during his stay in Shanghai, as well as a piano made by Chinese craftsman Zhou Xiao Sheng in Yokohama’s Chinatown.

The diary of Shinsaku Takasugi, who played an active role at the end of the Edo Period and traveled to Shanghai, a Chinese dress made from textiles exported from Japan, as well as pictures of the Chinese city in the 1920s are also on display.

“We want many people to know of the close relationship between the two cities, despite the less-than-perfect state of current bilateral relations,” said Izumi Ito, a researcher at the repository.