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

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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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— Mark & Roberta Gross

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— Heather Jordan

“In September, MBJessee finished painting two sides of our 3-story condominium building (six owners). We were impressed by the professionalism of the company and every one of its workers, Matt Jessee couldn't have been more helpful in planning the project. His painters were well-trained, easy to communicate with and eager to please. In addition to painting the stucco, they made extensive repairs on windows and frames, which will save us considerable money in the future. They finished earlier than anticipated, with as many as five men working on the job, and the scaffolding came down the next day. All of us were delighted with the results. Now my husband and I are looking forward to having MB Jessee paint our own apartment later this month. Matt and Gustavo (who will be our crew leader again) have explained how they will work to make the painting proceed smoothly while we're living here, and they have been endlessly patient with our protracted decision-making process. If you look at their website, you'll learn that MB Jessee is an exemplary company that takes good care of its workers as well as its customers, and contributes public service projects to the community. All in all, we can't recommend MB Jessee highly enough.”

— Jayne W.
San Francisco, CA

“Our paint crew did a great job and the foreman, Gersson was exceptionally great to work with. He was always available to answer questions, good at problem-solving, very patient, kind, and highly professional with great customer service. We definitely recommend this company, and Gersson and his crew.”

— Andrea Y.
Berkeley, CA

“Hello Matt,Just another notice of thanks to your wonderful crew, Rigoberto, Javier and John. They did fantastic work, with Rigo providing meticulous and conscientious attention to the details and excellent woodwork finishing, as evidenced by the beautiful fireplace. Javier did a fantastic job in the bathroom especially, it looks "brand new," and John always does quality work, both with the interior and exterior. I can tell they care about what they do. Rigo's "punch out" was very thorough, too. I will call again when I need some more work and will definitely recommend your company and fine crew. I also felt as a homeowner, I could leave my house in their good hands during the day and that took a lot of worry from me, they were honest, prompt and reliable. They were also very kind, respectful and clean in their work, very professional. Thank you.”

— Beth Marx & Melissa Kirsch
Oakland

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“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

“Awesome work by highly experienced, professional painters. They were: Conscious about the amount of time it would take. Ours had a lot of pre-work and took 3 weeks. Accommodating when we added a few last-minute changes Understanding when a heatwave hit and we remove some of the plastic sheeting over windows, which they had to put back up the next day. Accessible, especially the on-site crew (Hi Jose & Victor!) -- always answering questions and checking in. The end result is a perfect paint job that makes our 94-year-old house look brand new. I would definitely hire MBJ again”

— Stacey R.
Oakland, CA

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— Mrs. S
San Leandro

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Oakland