Santa Barbara joins sister city Toba, Japan for bell-ringing display of unity

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Santa Barbara and its sister city Toba, Japan came together Wednesday for a display of unity.

Leaders from Santa Barbara and the Sister Cities International Board of Directors met via Zoom with city leaders from Toba, before the groups on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean took part in a bellringing ceremony.

The bells' 75 chimes remember the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and commemorate 75 years of peace between the United States and Japan.

Dozens of cities in both countries took part in similar ceremonies Wednesday.

Another bellringing ceremony is scheduled for Sunday in Santa Barbara.

Toba is Santa Barbara's oldest sister city, with the partnership dating back 54 years.