Taiwan's Chaozhou township is deepening its links with Japan, a small but positive step for local tourism, restaurants, and farmers.

• The head of Japan's Kasama Taiwan office toured Chaozhou during a doll-festival exhibition from Ibaraki's Daigo town.
• Both sides want to trade farm goods — Kasama chestnuts going one way, Chaozhou pineapples the other.
• The Kasama office also wants local restaurants to build dishes around its farm products.
• Chaozhou's ties with Ibaraki started with a marching band exchange, and Japanese backpacker visits have risen noticeably since.

Outlook: More exchanges are planned for next year, with the town hoping the attention turns into steady Japanese tourist traffic and real business for local shops.