Celebrating 40 Years of Friendship

Celebrating 40 Years of Friendship

On July 16^th, 25 citizens and 11 city official delegates from Cupertino’s Sister City, Toyokawa Japan, boarded busses bound for San Francisco airport amid hugs, tears, waves goodbye and promises to return. This year, 2018, marked the 40^th Anniversary of the official relationship between these two communities. While student delegations are hosted every year by both cities, this official delegation exchange happens only once every five years.

As part of this visit, Toyokawa unveiled and presented a new permanent monument commemorating the anniversary installed on the grounds of Cupertino City Hall. Solidifying an already strong relationship, the monument incorporates both city logos along with an inscription to mark the event and those involved. Cupertino hosted a reception event on the morning of the first day of Toyokawa’s visit, which included remarks by Cupertino Mayor, Darcy Paul, Toyokawa’s Mayor, Minoru Yamawaki, and a special presentation of a poem written for the occasion by Cupertino’s Poet Laureate, Kaecey McCormick.

The trip provided an opportunity for the Toyokawa delegation to see how much Cupertino has changed in the last five years and discover the history of Japanese Americans in the region. Their tour included stops at Apple Park Visitors Center, McClellan Ranch Park, Cupertino Memorial Park including the Senior Center, the Cupertino History Museum, the Veterans Memorial, and the Japanese American Museum in San Jose. The Toyokawa group also expressed interest in civic services in Cupertino, so they toured City Hall, the Civic Center, and the Cupertino Library, followed by a visit to the Recology facility in Sunnyvale to see the region’s approach to waste management and recycling.

Local Cupertino families hosted the Toyokawa visitors in their homes during the visit, many of whom participate in the Cupertino-Toyokawa Sister City Committee, a non-profit responsible for the administration of the program and the production of the annual Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival. Even in situations where communication was difficult due to language, hosts and guests alike conveyed their mutual appreciation and friendship for their housemates.

The week culminated in a banquet held at Cupertino’s Quinlan Center where gifts were exchanged, and the attendees were treated to performances by Cupertino Senior Center’s own Aloha Nani Hula Dancers as well as music and dance groups representing the Bay Area’s greater Asian diversity of Chinese, Southeast Asian, and Indian cultures.

In November of this year, a delegation of approximately 40 Cupertino citizens, led by Mayor Paul, will travel to Toyokawa in a reciprocal visit, capping the year-long 40^th anniversary activities.

For more information, please visit www.cupertinotoyokawa.org, www.cupertino.org, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyokawa,_Aichi, and www.city.toyokawa.lg.jp (Japanese).