40th Anniversary of “Friendship Moon Bridge”: Mito, Japan & Anaheim Shores

On November 9th, 2017, a ceremony was held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bridge that was built as a visible sign of the cities’ sister city relationship, which began in 1976. The Friendship Moon Bridge is a Japanese-style bridge built in 1977 on Anaheim Shores Lake. Anaheim Mayor Pro Tem James Vanderbilt, Anaheim City Councilmember Lucille Kring and Anaheim Sister City Commission Chair / SoCal Sister Cities President Anthony Al-Jamie joined the event. Anthony Al-Jamie released two Taisho Sanshoku / Sanke koi (Japanese carp) into the lake to replenish the original koi that had been contributed by the City of Mito. Photos and a news story from the original ceremony were on display. Over the four decades, hundreds of Japanese homestay students from Mito coming to Anaheim have visited this bridge as part of their trip.