Cupertino-Toyokawa Sister Cities Inc. (CTSC) hosted its third annual Bell Ringing for Peace Ceremony at Cupertino’s Memorial Park Aug. 6 to commemorate the end of WWII 77 years ago and the bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Toyokawa.
Each holding a bell and origami crane symbolizing peace, attendees gathered around the stone lantern, a gift from Cupertino’s sister city Toyokawa, Japan, and rang their bells for 30 seconds as a gesture of remembrance.
“This event is unique from what I’ve seen of any activity in organizations across the country,” Mayor Darcy Paul told attendees. “This is truly an ongoing dedication to making sure that we don’t have these types of really catastrophic events happening that are of our own making against each other. It reminds all of us to observe peace, and this is precisely the essence of what we’re trying to achieve worldwide.”
“This is a time of solemn remembrance of all of us Japanese people, and we pray for the souls of those who lost their lives,” said “Jimmy” Kishimori, acting consul general of Japan in San Francisco and a second-generation survivor of the Hiroshima bombing. “It’s truly touching to see people in the United States remember the tragedies of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Toyokawa and share our wish for peace.”
Kishimori commended Cupertino’s diverse and was delighted to see local youth from the annual sister cities student exchange program. “Today’s event is an excellent reminder of the positivity we can make together,” he said.
Representatives from all four of Cupertino’s sister city organizations—Copertino, Italy; Toyokawa, Japan; Hsinshu, Taiwan ROC; and Bhubaneswar, India—attended the ceremony. CTSC president Alysa Sakkas noted the importance of these community partnerships.
“We can’t erase or change the past, no matter how sad or uncomfortable it makes us feel,” said Sakkas. “When a delegation from Cupertino visited Toyokawa in 2018, we visited the newly dedicated Toyokawa Peace Park at the site where the U.S. bombed Toyokawa during WWII. It would have been awkward for Toyokawa to suggest a visit, but they were deeply touched when we requested the visit.
“Since conducting the first Bell Ringing for Peace ceremony in 2020, CTSC agreed that this is a new tradition we want to continue in Cupertino.”
This year marks both the first time the ceremony was open to the public and the 44th year of the sister city relationship between Cupertino and Toyokawa.
For more information, visit www.cupertinotoyokawa.org.
Kenneth Shui is a rising senior at Monta Vista High School. He is serving as an intern to Cupertino City Councilmember Hung Wei.
Source: www.mercurynews.com