Shimada Friendship Park

We love this waterfront trail. After work and weekends, we like to unwind with a nice walk or bike ride. The views are incredible and love the mild sunny winds when weather permits.
We usually just pick a point to start and walk all the way down the path, enjoying the bay views while getting exercise in. We are fortunate to live close to a great spot that sometimes feels so far away from the urban shuffle of freeways, box stores and major cities. Even though it is all right there in the distance.

I have to say that I love this park. This park has a special place in my heart. I have been to Shimada, Japan. I just got back. I was a teacher ambassador for the Richmond/​Shimada Friendship program. I learned about the history of the program. It was an amazing experience and I recommend it to anyone who has an interest. I am currently blogging about my adventure. If you like to check it out:
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The park is beautifully maintained. There is a restroom. There are picnic area. The view is breath taking. If you have kids there is a playground if you take the trail to the left at Barbara and Jay Vincent park. It is about
.52 miles according to the map.
I will becoming back soon.

I was looking for a great place to watch the sunrise over Berkeley on the Winter Solstice, and saw that Shimada Friendship Park fit the bill perfectly! The morning was quiet and serene, with joggers, walkers, bikers … and even birds.
It’s a pleasant place to come, sit on a bench, plan your year out to makes sure all your ducks are … well, you know.

Run, biked, or walked through this gorgeous park with vistas of the Bay that are so meditative and calming. Lovely…
Also, honoring sister relationship with Jp… interesting pieces there to view, and a blown-​up retelling of the interactions in history in the local area.
First time I ever set eyes on Marina Bay, I was brought to this park.
Hm…noooo…wait a minute. My bf back during Cal college days brought me to romantic Salute’s walkway by the marina to behold the night view.

Beatiful scenery. Walk, jog, skate, & bike on the trail, but know what side they pass on if you’re going slow. Most people don’t know what it means when someone yells «left».

So I discovered & moved into what must be the best kept secret, hidden-​gem-​of-​a-​neighborhood in the entire Bay Area. I live in Richmond. Yes, the Richmond with the Iron Triangle & where the police department uses ShotSpotter technology. Yes, that Richmond. But situated in a narrow sliver of land South of I-​580 & North of the waters of the San Francisco Bay is a residential community known loosely as Marina Bay.
Forget the images of gangs, drug dealers & shootings that customarily spring to mind when Richmond is mentioned. There’s none of that here. In fact, on any given day, the harbor views here rival any you’ll find in Sausalito. & there are parks, lots of parks. To be exact, there are 5 waterfront parks within a few minutes’ walk from my front door. How many other neighborhoods can boast that?
Shimada Friendship Park is 1 of those parks. It’s a tiny pocket park next to Marina Bay Parkway that would be real easy to miss while driving by. The park is dedicated to a friendship relationship established between the city of Richmond & Shimada, Japan. In the same space, this park serves as a reminder of the wrongs of the past, warns not to repeat the same mistakes & shows hope for the future.
Art & installations on display in the park memorialize the internment of Japanese/​American US citizens into camps. After the terrorist attacks of 9/​11, there is a real temptation to forgo our freedoms to appease our fears. What must be remembered is that ⁹⁄₁₁ was not the 1^st time America has been attacked. & ⁹⁄₁₁ was not the 1^st time that Americans have experienced an ensuing fear of further attacks.
There is an incredibly important lesson to be learned here. As Americans, we all have an historical example of what happens when we allow fear to compromise our most important values. Japanese/​American US citizens were stripped of all their rights & had their lives wrongfully taken away. An enemy cannot be determined by the color of their skin, their ethnicity, or their religion.
Along with the specter of the past, this park also honors the friendship between Richmond & Shimada, Japan. Richmond & Shimada are part of a sister city program which includes an exchange student program, monthly meetings & a 50^th anniversary festival on April 28, 2012.
Ultimately, this is just a park too. Though diminutive in size, it’s big on features. There’s a decent size parking lot, BBQ grills, clean restroom facilities & sweeping views of the Berkeley Hills, nearby Brooks Island, the Bay Bridge & the San Francisco skyline. The San Francisco Bay Trail runs by Shimada Friendship Park.
Shimada Friendship Park is a really nice little park with a message of hope & some social commentary. Yes it’s in Richmond. But once you’re out here, you realize it’s not the Richmond you thought it would be.