Batman's Gotham now has first real-world sister city in Japan

When one thinks of Gotham, Batman's home city, one thinks of New York and Chicago, the real-world cities that inspired the dark, fictional one, it is thus a surprise when Fukuyama, a city in Japan's Hiroshima Prefecture, is crowned as Gotham's sister city.

Fukuyama is the first city in the world and also the first city in the history of the Batman series to be given a sister relationship with Gotham.

Why Fukuyama? Firstly, there's the city's emblem, first created in 1917, which is designed to look both like a mountain and a bat. Also, the Fukuyama Castle, which was built in 1622, was located on a hill called Komoriyama, which means 'Bat Mountain'.

The sister relationship with Gotham is established as a way to celebrate both the castle's 400th anniversary, and also the upcoming release of Matt Reeves' The Batman, which will hit theatres on March 3, 2022. The relationship was formalised on Feb 21 over a special signing ceremony held with Warner Bros Japan and the Fukuyama City Hall.

Various souvenirs and activities based on this crossover were unveiled, making Japan's Fukuyama a city that'll go on the bucket list of many Batman fans. What a way to drum up excitement for the new movie!

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This article was first published in Geek Culture.