~Blossoms~ International Friendship Mural

About the Mural

To celebrate our sister city connection, a beautiful new mural now brightens San Carlos: a collaborative creation by local artist Yucali and a calligrapher from Omura. Community members were invited to help bring the artwork to life, adding their own brushstrokes to this symbol of friendship. The mural was officially unveiled in a special ceremony in May 2025, marking a vibrant milestone in our ongoing partnership.

The sister city mural celebrating our connection with Omura, Japan is now beautifying Sister City Lane, just off San Carlos Avenue in the downtown San Carlos.  Less than two months ago the Tiernan Opticians entire building wall as a blank canvas but Yucali, a talented local artist, brought it to life in cooperation with Mr. Sato, a calligrapher from Japan.

Previously on “Paint Day” both adults and kids participated in this  beautification project called “Blossoms Together” and both people and clothes were inadvertently painted as well as the Tiernan’s Opticians building wall but it was a fun community participation day open to all citizens - artists or wannabes.  There was a short introduction by Leonor Urbain, President of the sister city association after which the citizen artists made their contributions.

San Carlos Sister City Association promoted the idea as a symbol of our growing sisterhood and in cooperation with Amy Newby, Director of the City’s Park and Rec Department, selected a local artist and a Japanese calligrapher from Omura to jointly create the concept.  Organized by Jessica Yang of the San Carlos Community Foundation, Paint Day was a roaring success judging by the public participation, the obvious fun and the community warmth it generated.

You can now see the completed mural in Sister City Lane (1225 San Carlos Avenue) which will be formally dedicated during the 2025 San Carlos centennial celebrations when the Mayor of Omura and his delegation visit to commemorate both the sisterhood and our annual international student exchange.