Yokohama Friendship Bell

Definitely worth a stop and look if you’re walking on Shelter Island. The Friendship Bell was a gift to San Diego from its sister city of Yokohama, Japan in May 1958. It was part of the Centennial Celebration of formal relations between Japan and the US — the first such affiliation on the west coast.
The bronze bell is 2−½ tons, and created by artist Masahiko Katori. In 2009, the bell house was rebuilt with new redwood rafters, the deck repaired, and the landscaping and moat surrounding refurbished.
Near the bell is the Helen-​Borshers Flowering Peach Tree, which was presented to the city of San Diego in 2008 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the San Diego-​Yokohama affiliation.
There is also a bronze sculpture, «The Girl in Red Shoes,» which was placed in 2009. It’s from a popular Japanese children’s story, and a similar sculpture stands in Yamashita Park on Yokohama’s waterfront. The plaque states that it was given to
the citizens of San Diego by the citizens of Yokohama «for eternal friendship and to commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the Yokohama Port Opening, June 2, 1859.»

I lived in Japan for 3 years and visited Yokohama once. So imagine my surprise when finding out there was a bell from Japan dedicated to Yokohama’s and San Diego being sister cities. Really cool place to visit on a walk at Shelter Island.

Nice as a landmark to photograph

I randomly found the friendship bell on Unilocal.i was hiking nearby and after checking in there (of course) this site popped up.
we have a beautiful friendship bell in my neighborhood and i was excited to see what this one looks like. it was tucked away, so you definitely have to want to find it. the architecture and bell are beautiful. i was surprised no one else was there, and several people walked by to take pictures on the marina without even reading the sign.
i especially loved that it features moving water, and a sakura grove. the trees were not in bloom but i can imagine that it is an amazing sight to see when the blossoms are open.

I was introduced to the bell recently after learning that Yokohama, as sister city to San Diego, donated the bell. I went here for the bell ringing ceremony on New Year’s Eve with the people from the Japanese Buddhist Temple.
As we stood in line in the cold outside, we learned about the history of the bell and about the tradition in Japan on New Year’s Eve. The ceremony started and pretty soon we were lining up.
As you stand next to the bell, you can feel the sound resonate through your body. It’s an amazing experience to be so close to such a strong sound which is supposed cleanse your soul before the New Year. Check this out for a different New Year’s Eve experience. Best of all, there’s NO COVER CHARGE!

The city of Yokohama, Japan presented the Japanese Friendship Bell to San Diego in 1958 as part of the Centennial Celebration of formal relations between that country and the United States. This gift served to mark the establishment of a sister city relationship between San Diego and Yokohama-​the first such affiliation on the West Coast. Especially significant given the fact that these 2 countries were mortal enemies during WW II and both cities have large naval and port facilities on site.
The Friendship Bell is 6-​feet high and weighs almost two and one-​half tons. The words «Bell of Friendship» are inscribed in both English and Japanese, but there is no clapper inside like most bells. Instead it is rung by being struck with a large wooden ram that is suspended horizontally across. To ring the bell, the ram is pulled back with a lanyard and released-​causing it to strike the bell. The design of the Japanese Bell is of course typically Japanese. In the Buddhist style, it is open on all four sides and surrounded by a moat.
Its fun to come down to Shelter Island and feed the ducks that made their homes in and around the moat. Recently I have been visiting Shelter Island and noticed that the Bell is getting a make-​over. Scaffolding is up and looks like some fresh paint is being applied. A while back, the city was having to drain the moat and redo it’s piping or something because the water filters would get clogged up. No matter what the maintenance issue-​just as I noted in my previous Unilocal on the Pacific Rim Park across the street-​the goodwill and friendship that both sites represent is wonderful in and of itself.
The fact that both also grace the end point of Shelter Island and overlook marine traffic in the Bay and out beyond to the great Pacific Ocean makes it perfect for it’s location. Every New Year’s at 11:30 p.m., the Buddhist Temple hosts a Bell-​Ringing Event at the Japanese Friendship Bell. The ceremony,
followed by sutra chanting and incense offering is the one time the Bell is officially rung. It is also a rare chance to «ring out the old, ring in the new» by striking the huge Bonsho bell, which has a lovely resonant tintinnabulation.
The bell is rung 108 times to symbolize purging of the previous year’s misdeeds and a new start to the coming year.
How fortunate to have both the Japanese Friendship Bell and the Pacific Rim Park here to symbolize the good relations we seek to cultivate and maintain with our friends across the Pacific.