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\nSaturday, April 28 10 a.m.\u20136 p.m
\nSunday, April 29, 2018 | 10 a.m.\u20136 p.m
\nBrooklyn Botanic Garden<\/p>\n
\nSaturday, April 28 10 a.m.\u20136 p.m
\nSunday, April 29, 2018 | 10 a.m.\u20136 p.m
\nBrooklyn Botanic Garden<\/p>\n
Brooklyn Botanic Garden\u2019s cherry blossom festival, Sakura Matsuri, the legendary annual event dubbed New York City\u2019s rite of spring, returns for its 37th year on Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29, 2018. For over three decades, Sakura Matsuri at Brooklyn Botanic Garden has showcased a rich and exhilarating cross-section of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. The festival is the highlight of the Garden\u2019s mesmerizing hanami (\u201ccherry blossom viewing\u201d) season. Based on the Japanese tradition of appreciating the beauty and fleeting nature of cherry blossoms, hanami at Brooklyn Botanic Garden draws New Yorkers and visitors from around the world each spring to view the Garden’s collection of over 200 flowering cherry trees, one of the most spectacular cherry blossom displays in North America.<\/p>\n
Musical Performers
\nThe Cherry Esplanade Stage will showcase six new and returning musical acts this year. Among the new performers is Bo-Peep, a grunge-rock trio originally from Fukuoka, Japan, whose raw sounds have received international critical acclaim. The all-female group has brought its explosive live show to the U.S.\u2019s SXSW, Japan\u2019s Fuji Rock, Britain\u2019s The Great Escape, and now to Sakura Matsuri. Also new to the festival this year is The Molice, a Tokyo-based band that draws inspiration from 70s punk, 80s New Wave, and 90s unchained indie guitar rock. Gaijin \u00e0 Go-Go, a returning favorite, will get visitors dancing to groovy Japanese pop inspired by 60s go-go music. J-Music Ensemble also returns with its high-octane jazz inspired by anime and video game themes. Energetic and thunderous taiko drumming performances by Taiko Masala and Soh Daiko will also thrill visitors.<\/p>\n
On the J-Lounge Stage in the Osborne Garden, visitors can get moving to DJ Sashimi\u2019s beats, which sample Edo-era melodies; Naruto Dance Party, featuring Kohei and anime songstress TiA; and Kuni Mikami and East of the Sun\u2019s jazz-flavored renditions of traditional Japanese folksongs. Spanish flute virtuoso Rodrigo Rodriguez will perform a meditative shakuhachi flute concert in the Garden\u2019s auditorium.<\/p>\n
Dance and Performance
\nDancejapan, New York\u2019s preeminent traditional Japanese dance troupe, returns with founder Sachiyo Ito. The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY also returns with a performance of traditional minbu dances on the Cherry Esplanade Stage, as well as a hanagasa odori\u2014\u201cflower hat dance\u201d\u2014among visitors in the Osborne Garden.<\/p>\n
Samurai Sword Soul, fronted by Sakura Matsuri Master of Ceremonies Yoshi Amao, will wow the audience with daring sword fights and thrilling performative storytelling. On the Osborne Garden lawn, artist Akim Funk Buddha presents the Urban Tea Terrarium, featuring the Bonsai Lab Dancers.<\/p>\n
Sakura Matsuri\u2019s popular and expanded series of traditional tea ceremonies will return for both days of the festival. Tea ceremony master Soumi Shimizu travels from Tokyo to join daughter S\u014dkyo Shimizu in deeply refined and reflective presentations.<\/p>\n
Fashion Shows
\nThe Ninth Annual Sakura Matsuri Cosplay Fashion Show is the East Coast\u2019s premier outdoor cosplay showcase and one of the most lively and anticipated events of the festival. This year\u2019s cosplay fashion show is hosted by Becka Noel and Dhareza Cosplayza and accompanied by live original music by the J-Music Ensemble.<\/p>\n
Brooklyn Botanic Garden\u2019s Parasol Society Fashion Show, a prim and proper pageant of grand proportions, showcases a catwalk performance set to live music by Gaijin \u00e0 Go-Go.<\/p>\n
Japanese Arts and Games
\nSakura Matsuri showcases Japanese arts and pop culture, including manga art, comedy, games, crafts, and more. In the Osborne Garden, meet the zine creators from CosplayNYC. Stand-up comic Rio Koike\u2019s magnificent magic show returns to Brooklyn from Japan, and Rich Kameda wows the audience with classic illusions.<\/p>\n
Manga fans can meet authors and illustrators Rumi Hara, Jed Henry, and Misako Rocks! Visitors can also play shogi (Japanese chess) or go with local experts. In the Rotunda, visitors can view masterful origami displays by Taro Yaguchi of Taro\u2019s Origami Studio and an exceptional demonstration in giant origami making by Frank Ling.<\/p>\n
Japanese Market
\nThe Japanese Market in the Osborne Garden offers Japanese sweets and unique shopping experiences. Foodies can sample exquisite wagashi desserts by Minamoto Kitchoan, confections by Sapporo-based Royce\u2019 Chocolate, and custom Sakura Matsuri chocolate flavors and more by Brooklyn\u2019s Raaka Chocolate.<\/p>\n
Visitors can also purchase vintage kimonos straight from Japan, delightful wooden kokeshi dolls handcrafted in northern Japan, Japanese pottery, tenugui wraps, manga-inspired accessories, sushi pillows, and other items. Brooklyn\u2019s Community Bookstore returns with a pop-up shop featuring Japanese novels, children\u2019s books, cookbooks, and more.<\/p>\n
Kids and Families
\nChildren and families can enjoy all-day performances as well as kid-centric activities, including a series of Sohenryu Family Tea Ceremonies with masters Soumi Shimizu and S\u014dkyo Shimizu, taiko drumming for families led by Hiro Kurashima of Taiko Masala, an origami workshop with Jeremy Aaron Horland, a tea-making workshop where kids can make their own herbal tea bag to take home, and cutout selfie stands that let kids picture themselves as a samurai warrior or daikon radish.<\/p>\n
Tours and Dining
\nBrooklyn Botanic Garden\u2019s renowned Japanese horticultural collections can be seen in tours of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and at a special exhibit in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. Visitors can recharge in the Garden\u2019s Yellow Magnolia Caf\u00e9 and at pop-up dining stations throughout the Garden offering Japanese lunches, snacks, and beverages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saturday, April 28 10 a.m.\u20136 p.m Sunday, April 29, 2018 | 10 a.m.\u20136 p.m Brooklyn Botanic Garden<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stay-connected-to-the-latest-local-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72729"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72730,"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72729\/revisions\/72730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.asianinny.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}