On Dec. 19, 1978, Cupertino City Councilmember Daniel O’Keefe, vested with full powers authorized by then-Cupertino Mayor James E. Jackson, visited Toyokawa, Japan to sign the Sister City declaration in the office of Mayor Yoshio Yamamoto of Toyokawa.
Cupertino and Toyokawa are celebrating 45 years as sister cities. A virtual 45th anniversary ceremony was held over Zoom, with the mayors of the two cities exchanging greetings, sharing videos and exchanging anniversary gifts. The ceremony was hosted from Toyokawa.
Toyokawa sent a painting by artist Ayako Kabeya with cherry blossoms that symbolize the friendship between the two cities. The painting can be viewed in the lobby of Cupertino City Hall.
Cupertino sent a 3-foot-tall rabbit statue painted by Janki Chokshi called “Bridges: Symbol of Love.” The statue, part of a community art project by Cupertino Rotary, pairs the Golden Gate and Toyokawa bridges, intermingles California redwood trees and poppies with Japanese cherry blossom trees, and features a rendition of the Toyokawa Inari Temple-Shrine.
Toyokawa is also celebrating its 80th year of incorporation and shared a music video made for the occasion. Pre-recorded video greetings were played from various students and adults who have participated in cultural exchange programs throughout the years.
Starting in 1983, the two cities have held an annual student exchange and many adult delegation cultural exchanges, skipping only a few years due to the 9/11 and Fukushima tragedies and most recently by the pandemic. The student exchange program will resume in 2024, and an informational meeting will be held on Jan. 9, 2024, for seventh- and eighth-graders in the Cupertino Union School District who are interested in participating.
A video of the 45th anniversary ceremony is available to view on the City of Cupertino’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMZXHnLfqwM&t=2657s.
Alysa Sakkas is president of Cupertino-Toyokawa Sister Cities, Inc.