The 60th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Honolulu and Hiroshima City was commemorated — and reaffirmed — in several events on July 2. They included a signing ceremony in the Honolulu City Council chambers reaffirming the sister-city relationship, originally signed in 1959; a ceremonial tree planting and a reception.
Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui signed the document.
Later in the day, the two mayors planted a mukunoki tree at Foster Botanical Garden. The tree grew from a mukunoki seed that survived the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima.
That evening, Consul General of Japan Koichi Ito hosted a reception for about 160 people with ties to Honolulu and/or Hiroshima, including the two mayors and members of their administrations and members of the Honolulu Hiroshima Kenjin Kai at his official residence. The guests enjoyed foods from Hiroshima and performances by the Hiroshima Junior Marimba Ensemble and the Royal Hawaiian Band. (by Kacie Yamamoto)
