Events

Children's Day, May 5

Children's Day in Japan is a day set aside to celebrate children. Koi windsocks celebrate the spirit of courage and persistence in children. Koi swim up river in the spring to spawn. Legend has it that one koi persisted for 100 years in its effort to climb a waterfall. It finally grew in strength and determination until it made it to the top, so the gods turned the koi into a flying golden dragon. Join us the week of May 5 to honor all the growing "golden dragons" who visit the garden. The waterfall will gush forth, there will be food for our koi, and we'll have games and activities to celebrate. Our first Children's Day!

Playing Go 

Periodically across the summer, William Shehan will be teaching how to play Go at the garden and holding game sessions. Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. It's the oldest continuously played board game. The rules are easy to learn but play can be as demanding as you want to make it. 

Bon Odori, August

"Bon Odori is a traditional dance festival that is held in order to welcome back the spirits of the dead for the Obon holiday. Often they are held locally in one of the hundreds of little parks scattered around every Japanese city so each local group can practice the taiko rhythms and the dances and celebrate with their immediate neighbors. These smaller bon odori are usually held a little earlier than the bigger celebrations where the whole town comes together." In 2021, a virtual Bon festival was held in the garden. Look for an in-person Bon next August!

Moon Viewing, September

The Tsukimi (moon viewing) celebration honors the harvest moon. The Japanese Arts Foundation and Japanese Cultural Center will host an inaugural tsukimi on September 18, 2021, with a taiko drum performance, a tea ceremony, and shamisen (Japanese lute) performance. We hope this can be an annual event. Tsukimi (jpacgarden.blogspot.com)