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Painting the Torii Gate in Celebration of Oakland’s Sister City Relationship with Fukuoka, Japan

 Painting the Torii Gate in Celebration of Oakland’s Sister City Relationship with Fukuoka, Japan

First, a quick history lesson…

In 1956, President Eisenhower established the People-to-People Program, believing that long-term peace was better achieved and preserved by connecting citizens, not just governments and officials. He envisioned people corresponding with each other, finding common ground, and fostering unity, beginning with one city being united with a “sister city” from another country, based on foundational similarities.

In 1962, Oakland California was officially paired with Fukuoka, Japan.

Fast forward a bit to 1969, and Oakland was given the original Torii Gate as a gift from Fukuoka in celebration of their seventh anniversary of connection.

Unfortunately, as the years marched on the gate fell into disrepair. That is, until 2002 when a highly-skilled Japanese craftsman rebuilt the gate, which was then unveiled with the help of a 65-person delegation from Japan.

And that brings us to today. 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of our “sister city” pairing, and the Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association is planning a major celebration.

Repainting the Torii Gate in Oakland

Looking back on all this rich history, it’s amazing to see how MB Jessee Painting clicks into the narrative in this new chapter. When we heard about the upcoming celebration, and also that the gate was in need of a fresh coat of paint, we quickly offered to donate our skill and services. What an incredible opportunity! And what an honor to help care for such a significant landmark, built with skill and gifted to our city.

Here are a few photos of our team at work on the transformation, and a photo from a Piedmont Post story written about the gate and our involvement.

 Painting the Torii Gate in Celebration of Oakland’s Sister City Relationship with Fukuoka, Japan
 Painting the Torii Gate in Celebration of Oakland’s Sister City Relationship with Fukuoka, Japan
 Painting the Torii Gate in Celebration of Oakland’s Sister City Relationship with Fukuoka, Japan

Would you like to learn more about the Torii Gate and our Sister City?

Start here, at the Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association. You may also want to take a look at their Facebook page for current events and updates.

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“Charles finished yesterday and did a fantastic job. We really enjoyed meeting Charles and having him in our home. He is a great guy in addition to his attention to detail in his work, the protection of our floors, walls and furnishings, and his overall interaction with us both. I would be pleased to recommend him to any of my clients.”

— Ken Morrison
Oakland

“I had my wooden kitchen cabinets painted white. Anabal and Danielle were doing the job. I have nothing but praise for them. They came on time, cleaned up every day, were respective, friendly and helpful. If the rest of Jessee's crew are as great as Anabal and Danielle, this company will go far.”

— Anni S.
Oakland, CA

“MB Jessee just finished our exterior and we couldn't be happier with our experience. The foreman (Pedro) and lead painter (Ricardo) were incredible to work with: they communicated scheduling clearly, Ricardo was a joy to be around every day, the showed up early every day, were incredibly tidy and did great paint work. The final walk through experience was incredible. Pedro pointed out items I missed demonstrating a clear desire to complete another quality project. I highly recommend them. As others have noted they definitely aren't the cheapest but you quickly realize that you're getting what you pay for. The 3 year guarantee is also a nice touch since there are likely touch up items that will show up after the job is done.”

— Joshua Jansen

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— Paul Markovich

“MB Jessee just finished our exterior and we couldn't be happier with our experience. The foreman (Pedro) and lead painter (Ricardo) were incredible to work with: they communicated scheduling clearly, Ricardo was a joy to be around every day, the showed up early every day, were incredibly tidy and did great paint work. The final walkthrough experience was incredible. Pedro pointed out items I missed demonstrating a clear desire to complete another quality project. I highly recommend them. As others have noted they definitely aren't the cheapest but you quickly realize that you're getting what you pay for. The 3-year guarantee is also a nice touch since there are likely touch-up items that will show up after the job is done.”

— Joshua J.
Oakland, CA

“The completed 'Client Satisfaction Survey' we sent in only modestly reflects our total satisfaction with the work. As a retired small business owner, I compliment you on setting 'best practices' that are consistently followed. Everything described in your marketing materials was a reality! The crew is a super bowl team and our neighbors commented on how quiet they were. We are very happy to be a client of MB Jessee.”

— Richard
Orinda

“Dear Matt,You must be so proud of your men! They were fantastic to have around. Polite, courteous and hardworking. I am so pleased with the outcome of our home--in fact, I couldn't be any more pleased than I am!”

— Mrs. S
San Leandro

“Everyone I dealt with was nice, helpful, and very professional. The price was reasonable! (I didn't feel like I was getting the "San Francisco price." The attention to detail and work quality was excellent. They did what they said they would do in the exact timeframe they said they would do. Highly recommend!”

— Tim Tyson

“Many thanks to Rigoberto and Damon and the extraordinary team who transformed my castle in the skies.They are magicians. I appreciate their work very much.”

— Kathleen A
San Francisco

“M.B. Jessee painted the exterior of my Spanish house over 9 years ago, and they did such an incredible job that they are still getting referrals from me today. The paint is holding up perfectly -- there is absolutely no peeling chipping or any other deterioration. I still remember that my final walk-through list consisted of items written on one side of a 3x5 index card (and I'm REAL picky about my house!) However, when Matt and I did that walk-through over HALF the items were no longer an issue, as his team had noticed them first and they had already been resolved.”

— JoAnn Newcomb

“The entire MB Jessee team is courteous, efficient and professional. From scheduling and estimating to the crew managers and crew, they all did an excellent job on a small (but complicated) two room project in my house. I'm already thinking about getting them scheduled for the next project in the spring.”

— Cari Cheney