For two days, you will be able enjoy a variety of merchants, engage in family friendly activities, treat yourselves to Japanese festival foods, a beer garden, a tea & dessert garden, and experience cultural performances throughout each day!

Each festival day will also be highlighted with traditional Obon practices. On August 4th, you’ll be able to make your own toro nagashi to either take home or send down the stream at the Japanese Friendship Garden. Lantern floating is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM at the lower garden.

On August 5th, the festival extends out to the Organ Pavilion at 4:00 PM where everyone will be invited to participate in the Bon Odori dance. The Organ Pavilion will be decorated with paper lanterns, Japanese folk tunes and taiko will fill the air, and dance leaders in traditional kimono will guide participants into a large dance circle! See below for the program schedule. Please note that JFG’s lower garden will be closed during this time

JFG Admission

General admission … $10
Students, military, seniors (65+) … $8
Explorer or Go passes; children 6 y/o and under … FREE[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Event Descriptions

SD-WISH invites you to come together to promote peace & harmony among all people, cultures, and nations. Our main purpose is to educate and inspire communities, kids, youth, families, and leaders for future generations on how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds. The International Peace & Humanity Day is free and open to the public – all ages are welcome

Part I: Ceremony

Saturday, August 5th – 4PM-5PM – Shelter Island
The atomic bomb droppings on Hiroshima on August 6th and on Nagasaki on August 9th 1945 were the last live use of nuclear weapons in history. August 5th 2017 (August 6th in Japan time) will mark the 72nd anniversary of the bombings and hence 72 years of freedom from nuclear weapon usage.

SD-WISH invites you to join us on the beautiful Shelter Island for an afternoon of commemoration as we gong the Friendship Bell to celebrate this freedom and send our WISH for eternal peace. Community members and leaders share their messages of dedication to peace, understanding and tolerance.

Part II: Floating of Paper Lanterns

Friday, August 11th – 6:30PM-9PM – Coronado
Adopting a traditional Japanese ceremony tōrō nagashi (tōrō means “lantern” and nagashi means “cruise, flow”), we celebrate peace and humanity by floating paper lanterns with written messages to the world as a hope or WISH for global peace and well-being.

We invite guests to write messages on paper lanterns and enjoy a relaxing San Diego evening at the waterside Coronado City Council Chambers patio along with light food, refreshments, origami, exhibits, presentations, and live music – a wonderful experience to gather and celebrate with fellow community members and leaders. You can make and float your very own paper lantern (materials will be supplied for free) and you’re welcome to take it home with you at the end of the evening. Yukata are welcome!

Maya Nakanishi

The Paralympic Long Jump (F44) Asian Record Holder will be speaking to send a powerful message for resilience during the Floating of Paper Lanterns event.

Date/Time
Date(s) – 8/5
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Location
Encinitas Library

Come to the Encinitas Library to celebrate the Sister City relationship between Encinitas and Amakusa, Japan.

Categories

• All Ages
• Community Festival
• Crafts
• Dancing
• Educational
• Family Fun
• music

Buy a ticket by January 16th and enter your chance to win a trip to Japan!  All proceeds go to support the Sister Cities International Southern California Chapter Young Professionals Committee Activities.

It is our pleasure to invite you to attend the San Diego Yokohama Sister City Society 59th anniversary luncheon on Sunday, September 25, 2016. Come and celebrate a longstanding relationship between the two cities as well as learn about the exciting developments and successes we have had in building educational and professional exchanges.
San Diego and Yokohama is one of the oldest sister cities on the West Coast, part of a larger initiative started by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to build people-to-people friendship through sister city exchanges. The San Diego Yokohama Sister City Society was key to rebuilding U.S.-Japanese ties at the national level following World War II, and has tremendously enriched the cultural life of residents in both cities through numerous arts, zoo, and library book exchanges over the decades. Many student, civic, and military delegations have also been exchanged through the sister city relationship.
This year we have expanded our relationship with Yokohama on multiple fronts. We deepened our exchange with the public schools in Yokohama. Twenty students from Kanazawa High School were warmly hosted at Mission Bay cluster of schools during a five day visit in March. Last August Mrs. Yumeka Nagasawa from Kanazawa Middle School and Mr. Takayuki Nagashima from Kanazawa Elementary participated in in-class training at Adobe Bluffs Elementary, Crown Point Junior Music Academy (CPJMA), and Pacific Beach Middle school. SDYSCS also partnered with CPJMA and the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park to build a Japanese garden at CPJMA’s playground.
SDYSCS sent an official delegation to Yokohama in April to discuss Yokohama Mayor Hayashi’s visit to San Diego next year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of sister city ties and open a representative office with the San Diego Economic Development Council. SDYSCS will send another delegation to Yokohama this November led by San Diego Unified School District President Dr. Mike McQuary in order to expand the scope of exchanges between the respective school districts.
This year has been quite eventful and we welcome you to join our luncheon at the Admiral Baker Clubhouse on Sunday, September 13, 2015 from 10:30am to 1pm. There will offer a delicious variety of Sunday Brunch entrees. Reservations are $30.00 per person with parking provided. We look forward to meeting you at our our luncheon and usher in an auspicious 2017.