Since the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami that pounded Japan on March 11, each passing day has created worry and fear in the hearts of family members and friends around the world — as well as in San Diego. San Diego’s sister city, Yokohama, Japan, presented the city with a Friendship Bell in 1958. The bell is located on Shelter Island. The sister city agreement was signed by the two cities in 1957. Now, the local group’s role is pivotal in the aftermath of the devastating Thoku earthquake and tsunami. “The bell is the symbol of eternal friendship,” said Koneko Bishop, president of the San Diego Yokohama Sister City Society (SDYSCS). In the spirit of San Diego’s eternal friendship with Yokohama, SDYSCS is collecting donations for relief efforts for the Japanese people. Bishop said 100 percent of the proceeds collected will be sent to aid the people of Japan. Yokohama has a population of about 3.6 million people and is situated just south of Tokyo on the Tokyo Bay. Many people work in Tokyo and have homes in Yokohama, Bishop said. “Yokohama to Sendai, the worst-hit area, is 120 miles away,” Bishop said. “The nuclear reactor is 75 miles from Yokohama.” Firefighters and other public-safety personnel from Yokohama were sent to the damaged areas in the aftermath of the destruction. “Yokohama was fortunately unharmed,” Bishop said. Still, fear and concern abound for SDYSCS members and others in the Japanese-American community. “We are all very concerned,” said Thelma Press, vice president of the SDYSCS. With the twin natural disasters and the threat of nuclear radiation in the food and water supplies, all of Japan will be affected by shortages, Press said. Press has traveled to Japan 12 times and said she is in disbelief over the tragedy. After the 2003 and 2007 wildfires in San Diego County, officials in Yokohama placed donation boxes all over their city and the funds collected were sent to aid San Diegans in its recovery, Bishop said. It was mandatory for all city employees in Yokohama to donate to the San Diego relief fund, she said. Despite estimates of 10,000 people still missing across Japan, Bishop said that she believes the Japanese people will overcome the tragedies of this month and rebuild their country. Bishop, 81, was born in Japan, but has lived in San Diego for nearly 40 years. “Mutual respect is our way of life in Japan,” Bishop said. She described the Japanese as hard workers who will remain positive through tragedy. “They like to help each other,” Bishop said. Bishop said she is honored to be part of the San Diego community and said the SDYSCS is grateful for any monetary disaster relief her fellow San Diegans can lend. For those who want to help, checks can be made out to San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society (SDYSCS), and mailed to the SDYSCS, P.O. Box 122842, San Diego, CA 92112-2842. Checks should be noted for The Japan Disaster Relief Fund. For more information, call (619) 583-8979, or visit www.sandiego yokohamasistercity.org.
