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ABOUT THE WAKAMATSU PILGRIMAGE
The Nichi Bei Foundation has led two four-bus pilgrimages from throughout Northern California to the site of the former Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony, the first large settlement of Japanese in America. Launching buses from San Francisco and San Jose Japantowns, Emeryville and Sacramento, Japanese Americans descended upon the historic site, which includes the grave site of Okei Ito, the first Japanese woman to die in America. Alternating with the Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage, the Wakamatsu Pilgrimage in 2019 featured a descendant of Wakamatsu colonist Kuninosuke Masumizu. The event was held in partnership with the American River Conservancy and the California Genealogical Society, whose volunteers helped to conduct family history consultations with pilgrims. 

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