Often times we find ourselves too busy in our daily lives to honor our past and remember those who have passed on. The Japanese Cemetery in Colma is a unique cultural treasure that deserves our attention, our respect, OUR TIME. The place represents our history, our loved ones, friends and family. For many of us, it’s the place is where our grandparents, great grandparents, parents, family and friends are laid to rest. For all of us, the loved ones that rest there represent our history.
The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) is organizing a youth, family and community Clean-Up Day at the Japanese Cemetery in Colma.
JCCCNC will supply garbage bags, tools, cleaning supplies, watering buckets, drinking water, rags, bento and flowers (please bring your own gloves).
During our lunch break, we will share a brief history of the cemetery and have a moment of silence to remember the lives lost as part of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The Japanese Cemetery is located in the quiet town of Colma on the San Francisco Peninsula. It takes about 20 minutes from San Francisco by car. The 3-acre cemetery is the final resting place for more than 5,000 people, and the tower commemorating three crewmen from the famous ship Kanrin-Maru is there as well. In 1901, the Japanese Benevolent Society of California was established with a grant from the Meiji Emperor of Japan to provide “for the relief of sick, disabled or destitute persons of the Japanese race” in California and to provide “a suitable burial ground for deceased Japanese.”
The Society performed its historic mandate over the years, assisting those in need and acquiring land in Colma, California, for a Japanese cemetery. It also served as a unifying force in the Japanese American community by bringing together the Buddhist, Shinto and Christian religious organizations, and by participating in local historical, cultural, and memorial events that honor the Japanese heritage in the United States.
Please join us for this special day ofHonoring Our Past, Remembering Those Who Have Passed On.
To donate to the Colma Cemetery Clean-Up:
VISIT http://bitly.com/Colmacemetery or
MAIL a check payable to JCCCNC: Attn: Colma 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
Please RSVP by May 12, by contacting the JCCCNC at (415) 567-5505 or email [email protected]
Supported by (as of 3/16/15):
Bay District Young Buddhist Association, BSA Troop 12, BSA Pack 29, BSA Troop 58, GenRyu Arts, Japan Society of Northern California, Japanese Community Youth Council