Groundbreaking Ceremony at Kinmon Gakuen / 金門学園 地鎮式

On Saturday, September 13, 2025, Kinmon Gakuen held a Groundbreaking Ceremony to mark the start of our long-awaited building rehabilitation project. This historic event took place at our school building in San Francisco Japantown, which has been home to Kinmon Gakuen since 1911.

The ceremony began with remarks by President Shinichi Seino and Honorary Chairperson Kinko Sakamoto, followed by an overview of the Capital Campaign presented by Co-Chairs Dr. Yasuko Fukuda and Jeffrey Matsuoka. A blessing was offered by the Japanese American Religious Federation (JARF), and participants then joined in the official groundbreaking and photo opportunity.

A special moment was the presentation of a certificate from Susan Chen of Assemblymember Matt Haney’s office. The program concluded with Kinmon Gakuen students proudly singing the school song — they did a wonderful job and brought warm applause from all who attended. 🎶👏

We were honored to welcome distinguished guests including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco Kotaro Otsuki, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Supervisor Connie Chan, former Assemblymember Phil Ting, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development Director Dan Adams, and Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California Executive Director Paul Osaki.

This Groundbreaking Ceremony marks the beginning of the long journey to renovate and preserve Kinmon Gakuen for future generations. We are deeply grateful to our alumni, parents, community members, and friends who continue to support us. With your help, we will create a revitalized community space that will serve San Francisco Japantown for the next 100 years. 🌸

To make this project a success, your donations are essential. Please consider supporting Kinmon Gakuen’s Capital Campaign.