What Is Obon?

Our Venue, the Mendocino Art Center (MAC), is the birthplace of our striving relationship between Mendocino and Japan.

Bill and Jenny Zasha, the founder of the Mendocino Art Center visited in Japan at the first time in 1964. It was an extraordinary opportunity for them who loved Japanese arts, philosophy, and culture. Being aspired by Hiroshige, a famous Japanese woodblock print artist, Bill wanted to create his version of Tokaido Goju-San Tsugi, Hiroshige’s masterpiece with 53 prints from various towns and places on an ancient trail from Tokyo to Kyoto. However, Bill only took nine more trips to Japan over 20 years.

On this trip, though, the magic happened. Bill met Toshi Yoshida, a woodblock print artist for the first time. Their friendship deepened over the years, and in 1971, Toshi came to live and teach printmaking at MAC. This experience sparked Toshi to create a Mendocino-Style art center in Japan. He eventually found an abandoned turn-of-the-century schoolhouse in the little village of Miasa, Nagano Japan, and he founded the place for creative people to live, create, and learn. Toshi and Kiso Yoshida (wife) named it Miasa BUNKA (“culture” in Japanese) Center.

Since then, this beautiful friendship led to establishing the official sister city relationship between Mendocino and Miasa (Miasa-Omachi). In 1992, The Mendocino Sister Cities Association (MSCA) officially joined the national organization, Sister Cities International, and MSCA was granted non-profit status in 1993. 

MSCA Student Exchange program marks 32 years in 2026, and so far over six hundred students and over three hundred adults traveled to Japan having life transforming experiences. Since 2008, the artists from Miasa-Omachi and Mendocino Coast started an exchange program where they have multiple shows together, studio visits, and learn their arts. 

This festival is our gift to the community to share our passion and respect to Japanese root in Mendocino.

So, MAC is our HOME. Where else is more appropriate?