Ikoi no ba (festivals)

Location

Narration

Narrated by: Katie & Miya

Images

Audio Transcript

The Ikoi no Ba are peaceful places to stop, rest, and think about the Japanese American history and culture. There are five different Ikoi no Ba on North 5th Street in San Jose's Japantown. They represent five main experiences in Japanese American history: internment, festivities, farming, immigration, and culture.

You are standing in front of the Ikoi no ba that represents, “Festivals.” As you can see, it is located near the Lotus Preschool and across from the Buddhist Temple. Ken Matsumoto created the benches to look like playful blocks. The tiles represent typical scenes from Japanese festivals and were decorated by the Lotus Preschool, Northside Boys and Girls Club, Wesley United Methodist Church Sunday School, and San Jose Buddhist Church Dharma School students. Bret Santo taught the children how to paint, fire, and set the tiles into the cement blocks. The funding for these Ikoi no Ba was shared between the Japantowns in San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Each city used the money in their own way. We hope you have time to sit down, relax and take a moment to reflect.

Fun Facts

• Lots of children were involved in the creation of the Ikoi no Ba at Lotus Preschool.
• A former Girl Scout, Trisha, worked on the benches for her Girl Scout Silver award.