NikkeiWest--Northern California Japanese American Newspaper

By J.K. Yamamoto—The Japan Tsuchiura Festival, a cultural celebration of Palo Alto’s sister-city relationship with Tsuchiura, Ibaraki Prefecture, was held Oct. 10 at the Lucie Stern Community Center.

The event featured special guests from Tsuchiura, which officially became Palo Alto’s Japanese sister city in March 2009, as well as local artists. A wide range of Japanese culture was featured, from traditional arts like calligraphy to cosplay, in which manga and anime fans dress as their favorite characters.

“Palo Alto’s relationship with that part of Japan started as early as 1993, when local parents started a student exchange program that has seen over 242 Japanese students and chaperones visit Palo Alto and over 201 Palo Alto residents visit Japan,” said Yoriko Kishimoto, former Palo Alto mayor and councilwoman, who served as honorary chair and emcee of the festival.

Relations were initially established with Niihari Village, which merged with Tsuchiura city in 2006. Tsuchiura then adopted the exchange program and became Palo Alto’s sixth sister city and California’s 97th Japanese sister city.

“They did also just announce that they were going to invite one person from Palo Alto, all expenses paid, to join a marathon in Tsuchiura next spring … I think this festival will create a lot of momentum and goodwill between the two sister cities,” Kishimoto said.

A native of Shizuoka whose parents live in the Kansai area, Kishimoto has long played a role in U.S.-Japan relations. She co-founded the Alliance Forum Foundation, which is based in San Francisco and Tokyo, and co-authored “The Third Century: America’s Resurgence in the Asian Era.”

The event was managed by another Japan native, Keiko Nakajima, who teaches Japanese at David Starr Jordan and Jane Lathrop Stanford middle schools. Volunteers were provided by Neighbors Abroad, which handles exchanges with Palo Alto’s sister cities in Japan, France, Mexico, Sweden, the Netherlands and the Philippines.

The program opened on the Courtyard Main Stage with children’s taiko by the Okinawa Eisa Drum Group; a group from Tsuchiura performing kappore, a modern version of a dance that was popular during the Edo period; Japanese songs by Harmony 84, a local women’s chorus; and a karate demonstration by Jun Yoshida. The five kappore dancers appeared three more times during the day, inviting members of the audience to join in.

The sister-city celebration ceremony included brief speeches by Barbara and Joe Evans, co-presidents of Neighbors Abroad; Palo Alto Mayor Pat Burt; Tsuchiura Mayor Kiyoshi Nakagawa; Tsuchiura City Council Chair Akira Orimoto; and newly arrived Consul General of Japan Hiroshi Inomata. The dignitaries participated in a kagami-biraki (sake barrel ceremony).

The main stage also featured shigin by Nobu Yoshimura; a cosplay walk; a demonstration of how to put on a kimono and obi by Miki Tanemura; a Hawaiian dance group led by Doreen Baclayon; and readings by children’s authors Christy Hale (“The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan”) and Mark Reibstein (“Wabi Sabi”). The authors also signed copies of their books.

Concurrent activities in the Stern Ballroom included a video show about Tsuchiura and demonstrations of ikebana by Yoko Tahara, origami by June Sakamoto, and chopsticks by Ariko Komoda. Instructors from the recently opened Japanese Art and Cultural Center in San Jose presented demonstrations of shakuhachi and koto (Gyofu and Mizuho Watanabe), Okinawa jamisen (Yukiko Sekiguchi), judo (Chuck Jefferson), aikido (Bruce Mendenhall), and kyudo (Stephen Scott).

The indoor program concluded with a kendo demonstration led by Eugene Lin of the Palo Alto Kendo Club and mochitsuki with taiko accompaniment by Kagami Kai of San Francisco. Some members of the audience tried their hand at pounding mochi.

Another special guest from Tsuchiura, Yoshitomo Mitsui, chief priest at Kojoan Temple, led two sessions each of tea ceremony and Zen meditation for small groups in the Fireside Room.

An exhibition on the Kanrin Maru, the ship that brought the first Japanese diplomatic delegation to the U.S., was on view in the Community Room. The festival was part of the yearlong celebration of the 150th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in San Francisco. Other activities in the Community Room included a silent auction and an anime drawing contest.

In the lawn area, visitors could purchase such items as Imagawayaki from Maru Maru, vintage silk kimono and accessories, and Japanese tea.

Booths in the courtyard offered face-painting, sumi-e, soroban (abacus), bonsai, and games for kids.

During their stay, the guests from Tsuchiura were also welcomed at a reception at Channing House in Palo Alto, toured Stanford University, and visited the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco.