LONG BEACH-YOKKAICHI SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION

 On September 25^th, 1963, the Long Beach City Council led by Mayor Edwin Wade unanimously recognized the Japanese port city of Yokkaichi as its SisterCity.  Then on October 7^th, 1963 the City Assembly in Yokkaichi led by Mayor Sukenori Hirata approved the relationship.

            The selection of Yokkaichi can be traced to Nagoya being the Sister City of Los Angeles.  That affiliation became official in 1959.  The mayor of Nagoya recommended Yokkaichi as a sister city for Long Beach because of the close proximity of Long Beach and Los Angeles and Nagoya and Yokkaichi.

             The Board of Harbor Commissioners for the Port of Long Beach accepted the sponsorship of the Sister City Program for Yokkaichi at its meeting on January 6^th, 1964.  From then on many positive things started happening to bring the two cities closer together.

             On of the first activities was an exchange of paintings by school children the two cities.  Another involved the International Beauty Pageant held in Long Beach in which delegates came from Yokkaichi and wee treated to many tours, receptions and gala events.  On July 3, 1964 Henry Ohye officially began his air flight from Long Beach to Japan.  The primary objective of his solo flight in a single engine airplane was to visit the sister cities in Japan affiliated with sister cities in California.

             The first official joint meeting of the Sister City Committees representing Long Beach and Yokkaichi was held on August 10, 1964 with the main topic of discussion being the exchange of students.  The exchange referred to as the Trio, includes a teacher from each city and continues to this day.

             In June of 1965, Mayor Wade, on behalf of Long Beach, accepted an ornate and colorful Japanese Shinto shrine given by Yokkaichi.  An artwork in wood and gleaming brass, the Mikoshi, or portable Shinto shrine, was brought to Long Beach on the carrier USS Yorktown through the cooperation of the U.S. Navy.  The shrine comes in nine separate pieces with a total weight of 920 pounds and is flanked by a pair of brass lions’ heads to represent guardians of the shrine.  It has a large drum made from a hollowed log that is carried before the shrine and sounded in parades.