Principal Eddie Park has continued the tremendous momentum of dialog between Yokohama and San Diego for building a public school partnership. Eddie traveled to Yokohama once again on from July 8-16 and made tours to the elementary, middle, and high schools in Kanazawa Ward. He was able to meet and exchange gifts with each of the principals there and officially sign partnership agreements that twinned schools together.

Kanazawa Elementary is now partner schools with Barnard Elementary Asian Pacific Language Academy; Kanazawa Junior High School is partnered up with Pacific Beach International Baccalaureate Middle School; and Yokohama Municipal Kanazawa High School is partnered up with Mission Bay High School.

Furthermore, the Yokohama Board of Education has newly establish an Office of International Division to focus on its overseas exchanges. On September 12th, Yokohama Municipal Kanazawa Senior High School Principal Masahiko Miura and English instructor Mr. Satoshi Yuchi will arrive in San Diego to attend the Society’s annual luncheon at Admiral Baker Clubhouse, and then tour their San Diego partner schools and better know our city.

About fifty students from 2nd and 3rd grade classes taught by Ana Estrella and 4th and 5th grade classes taught by Angela Jurado came on a field trip visit to the Japanese Friendship Garden on Friday, June 5 through SDYSCS funding for bus transportation. The students had the opportunity to experience a full morning of Japanese cultural activities offered at the garden.

The morning began outside the entrance of the garden with an explanation of Japanese gardening aesthetics given by docent Mike Waggener. Afterwards the two classes split and Mrs. Estrella’s class learned essential aspects of the garden through interpretive dance taught by choreographer Todd Mitchum.
Mrs. Jurado’s class were able to enjoy a lesson and tour of the koi pond and bonsai trees with Mike Waggener, who gave them an explanation and demonstration of sukiya architecture, tsukubai water basin, rock gardens, dressing in yukata, and the contents of a Japanese school child’s randoseru (backpack).

Both classes finished their activities and joined together at the koi pond to make sketches of the fish and explore the garden on their own with a scavenger hunt. At the end of the day the students went home happy and filled with exciting stories to share with their families.

On March 17, we welcomed Mrs. Hikawa and Mrs. Amino, two teachers from Kanazawa Senior High School in Yokohama who visited San Diego in order to further discuss the the San Diego-Yokohama educational collaboration and the possible creation of a new youth exchange program.

They visited our fantastic schools and toured our beautiful city during their short stay, learning about the Japanese American community in San Diego and the history of its sister city relationship with Yokohama.

Among their stops were the Yokohama Friendship Bell on Shelter Island, the Cabrillo Monument, Gaslamp Quarter, Old Town, Coronado Island, and the USS Midway.

The Yokohama delegates took a breather during their busy tourist itinerary and got down to business: they signed a partnership agreement with Mission Bay High School Principal Remillard, made a school tour of Crown Point Jr. Music Academy, and also attended the opening reception of the new Japanese Friendship Garden Tea Pavilion.

In this whirl of activity our Yokohama guests also got time to shop for souvenirs and were seen off on a direct JAL flight to Japan in time for the next day of school.

In the span of three days, this delegation was moved by the warm welcome of San Diegans, the long history of ties between San Diego and Japan, and the novelty of local educational methods. Mrs. Hikawa and Mrs. Amino expressed excitement at moving forward with the school partnership, well reciprocated by everyone they came in contact with!

Principal Park kindly invited SDYSCS to participate in Barnard’s Lunar New Year Festival held at their school.

Thanks to the generosity and support of our Members and their friends, we were able to set up a mochi tsuki area where children could try their hand at pounding mochi and also have a taste of some mochi varieties, present a kimono fashion show with an array of intricate and colorful kimonos, and hold a judo demonstration by students from Migoto Dojo.

It was a great opportunity to participate in a community event and share a part of the Japanese culture.

The SDYSCS would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the generosity to those that volunteered their time and efforts to share a piece of Japanese culture to children and parents of Barnard Asian Pacific Language Academy.

Kimono Rental Yuko & The San Diego Kimono Club
The San Diego Kimono Club and Kimono Rental ‘yuko’ San Diego closed out the LNY festivies with a beautiful kimono fashion show to with over 20 models! Special thanks to Marumi Fujiki, Yuko Niwa and Koji Kuninaga.

Migoto Judo
Migoto Judo’s rousing demonstration ended with a bang as Principal Park joined the fun by taking a few falls to the enjoyment of the audience. Speacial thanks to Sensei Roland Fernando and Caroline Rasing.

We would also like to thank Yuko Kawakyu for providing us with their personal usu and kine set. Kokugo Gakuen for providing us with our Matsui Happis and Azunakai’s Manami Nakayama for manning our table.