San Jose Okayama Sister Cities

Did you know that the Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) in Kelley Park is a very special place because it is directly related to our 60 year history with Okayama City, Japan? The City of Okayama is home to one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Korakuen. Korakuen is part of the grounds of Okayama Castle as a place for the ruling family (lord and family during the feudal era) and to receive and entertain important guests. It was built in 1687, bombed during WWII and flooded in 1934. But because of accurate records kept by the garden’s creators & designers , it has always been able to be restored to its original state.

Our Japanese Friendship Garden in Kelley Park is modeled after this great landscape garden although we do not have a crane aviary or an archery range (Japanese archery is different from western archery…and worth a look into, but that’s a separate subject!)
We do have koi – the original koi were given to us by Okayama – actually flown to San Jose!  Currently, the gardens, tea house and ponds are in the process of restoration. They suffered during the 2017 flooding, with some koi being stranded on walking paths and in bushes. However, the koi that were being incubated in filtered tanks survived, and they are now in filters in the garden until the ponds can be restored and inspected for safety.

A new group of “Friends of the JFG” is in the works!
Please email: <sjokayama1957@gmail.com> if you are interested in becoming a volunteer or being added to the list! This is a Girl Scout Gold Award project which is just getting started. Look for more information here soon!

This summer, between flooding and Typhoons in Okayama, 5 intrepid high school students selected from over 35 applicants went to experience their first homestay and student exchange in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. With them went their equally intrepid (or perhaps even more intrepid)

Okayama City hosted over 50 students total from their sister city relationships around the world. Our students came back with a new appreciation of the similarities and differences between our two cities and cultures! Each created very special relationships with their host families & vowed to always be friends & family.

-What was different?
It was CLEAN! EVERYWHERE! No litter, no trash, no homelessness. Everyone is polite and welcoming.  And it was very green! In San Jose, our hills are brown. In Okayama, everything is green and fresh.
When a family says someone is ‘good’ at something…they mean REALLY GOOD! One student went to their homestay family’s little daughter’s piano recital and couldn’t accept the family’s compliment to her (saying she could sing) after that!
Kids seem to do what is expected of them after being told once. It’s in the culture.

-What was the same?
They do have ketchup and mayonnaise!
Parents worry about their children, just like they do here.
People like anime! (Yes! It did come from Japan!)
They were worried if they would be liked, just as “we” SJ students wondered whether they would be liked.

We had a small reunion! Some of the delegation members from April 2018 were able to drop by Kelley Park and with the help of several of San Jose’s City Councilmembers, their staff, Vice Consul Ryo Aono (who had help from Kevin O’Donnell from the Consulate of Japan SF) and San Jose-Okayama Sister Cities volunteers (Denise Esparza, City of San Jose Parks Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Elanor Sakamoto, translator), sponsors (Catherine M. Tompkison), SJOSC  Board members, Elizabeth Chien-Hale, Tina Urata, Dr. Mototaka Senda, Kathy Sakamoto – We also had students who will be participating in the Homestay in Okayama 2018 (July) program this year!

We must acknowledge our wonderful Sister City International Special Ambassador, Mr. Shin Koyamada and his wonderful wife, Nia Lyte! They always add so much to any event! Shin is a martial artist, having studied and competed in many martial arts disciplines. He is also an actor, gaining fame as “Nobutada” the son of the samurai played by Ken Watanabe. Shin is also a Special Ambassador for karate for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and a Board member to Sister Cities International.

We have great support from San Jose City Councilmembers, D10-Johnny Khamis, D3-Raul Peralez & his wife, Victoria & Chief of Staff Christina Ramos, D4-Lan Diep and staffer Thulien Dang,  D8-Sylvia Arenas (represented by Lauren Urhausen, D2-Sergio Jimenez represented by Vanessa Sandoval and last but not least, D7-Tam Nguyen & staff Louansee Moua.

The Kelley Park Japanese Friendship Garden was modeled after the great Korakuen Garden, one of the three great gardens of Japan which is on the grounds of Okayama Castle. The Castle is known as the “Castle of the dark bird” or “Crow Castle” because of the dark background of the walls of the building.

The garden in San Jose, CA was damaged severely during the flooding in February of 2017 and is still being restored. The descendants of the original koi flown to San Jose, CA as gifts to San Jose from Okayama City, Japan, still inhabit the filtered pools in the Kelley Park Japanese Friendship Garden. A new filtration system is needed to allow the fish back in the larger pond areas. Since this costs in the $100K range, a lot of fundraising is needed. All funds to Parks & Recreation must go through the Parks Foundation.
https://sanjoseparksfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/30832-japanese-friendship-garden-fund

A delegation will be traveling to Okayama come April 2018!

Although our list of delegates is yet to be revealed to the public, it is varied, interesting and impressive. We hope you’ll want to learn more about student exchanges, cultural exchanges and the history of the sister city relationship.

We’ll have lots more to post after the trip, but for now – if you’d like to be involved. just email: sjokayama1957@gmail.com

Ask for the latest brochure! We can send a pdf if you like!

 

 

Flutist Ray Furuta is representing San Jose by invitation from Okayama Music Festival held annually in Okayama City, Japan. He is accompanied on piano by Kanako Yamasaki

Their lists of accomplishments is best served by reading their bios. Suffice to say that they have worked internationally to great acclaim while maintaining their connections to local community.

*****

We are very happy that Shin, a native of Okayama, Japan, is the first Japanese national to be a part of the Sister Cities International Board of Directors. In addition to his work as an actor, he has spent a majority of his time doing non-profit work to help other countries in the fields of humanitarian aid, the arts, business and education. For more information about the Koyamada Foundation (Shin & wife Nia) see http://www.koyamada.org

Cheers!

Although we know that these types of events take a lot of time, planning, careful execution and lots of support, they are also some of the wonderful benefits of the sister cities programs and relationships.

Anyone who heard these young, talented musicians know that their teachers, conductors, assistants, families and sponsors have every right to be bursting with pride. They were wonderful.

Thank you to Matsuda-san for ‘modeling’ & Okayama East Rotary for providing the t-shirts to both groups of musicians and for helping make this concert a reality!

These two youth orchestras are amazingly different and amazingly good. They will each share their repertoire, led by their own conductors, but also will join forces and share the stage for two pieces.

Sixty eight young musicians from Okayama will be in San Jose for this event. And the San Jose Youth Symphony, fresh off their tour of Europe this summer and their summer camp, will delight you with their musicality and expertise.

Making this even more memorable is the tribute to peace between nations that this concert represents during this 60th Anniversary year of the establishment of the Sister City relationship between San Jose, CA and Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, on the 72nd anniversary of the nuclear bombing of the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima is sister cities with Honolulu, HI. The bombing took place on Aug 6, 1945.

In the current era of unrest in the world, we want to celebrate the good things that the youth of the world can bring towards a peaceful and beautiful future.

Tickets available online (Hammer Theatre Box Office)
$5

Tickets

 

Kibigaku is the composite art with music and dance, which was founded by Yoshihide Kishimoto, a Gagaku musician of former Okayama domain in 1872. Kibigaku was performed when Munetada Shrine in Omoto, Okayama City was built. And since then, Kibigaku has been the official ritual music of Kurozumikyo (a type of Japanese religion).

Gagaku was made up of music and dance of Asian countries and those of ancient Japan. Its base was established in around the 10^th century and has been passed on until now in various ways. Gagaku has been performed as the music for the court and religious ceremonies.

In 1968 Patti McLoughlin (now Patti Brady), spent more than six weeks as a student visiting our Sister City, Okayama, Japan. She lived with two families a total of 5 weeks and stayed with three other families. The visit left an indelible impression on her which she would like to share with all of you. The delegation arriving in San Jose in just a few days will include a contingent of former exchange students from Okayama, host parents of exchange students that went from San Jose to Okayama and their friends. Many private reunions will be held. Many memories revisited and many new friends made. This is an important part of the citizen-to-citizen relationship that Sister Cities is all about.

The public is welcome to attend the Flag raising at San Jose City Hall, 2pm, Friday, 4/21

Patti’s words from 1968 follow:

“During my 3 months in Japan I visited Tokyo, Nikko, Kobe, Yokohama, Hiroshima Nara and other interesting sights What did I like most? Well, the answer is the people. The people in Okayama (and for that matter everywhere we went) gave us their friendship and their love.  On the streets, in the little towns, the beach and at all our talks they listened with interest and sincere friendship in mind. They made me feel welcome, at home and they let me become a part of their everyday life. Through this they have contributed to the understanding of our two nations. Although we are different in many aspects we can still live happily side-by-side productively and helping one another. That fact it is possible could prove to everyone we can have brotherhood. To me the road to brotherhood lies in the understanding of the ideas, the customs and the cultures of our foreign neighbors – sister city relationships prove this!”