My family is visiting this week so I am posting an activity we did earlier this month so I can spend time with my parents. I will post more on that next week:)!
Every year the St Louis Botanical Gardens hosts a Japanese festival. It is one of the largest in the country according to the website. The Japanese Festival was started 40 years ago by Japanese intermit refugees who moved here after WWII. We go to the festival every year and each time we see different cultural events. Now that our daughter is taking Japanese lesson it was even more special to us.
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| I love the Bonsai and Ikebana exhibits which they have every year:) |
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| We watched the opening ceremony and listened to a speech by our Mayor. |
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| Watched the dragon dance and the drums |
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| Plenty of activities for kids to do like make origami monkeys:) play with Japanese tops and other children toys. |
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| Plenty of Japanese food vans for lunch |
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| lots of cosplay characters from Japanese Anime -- I can't identify them but my kids can |
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| There were many demonstrations of various Japanese Martial Arts. I believe this was Kendo which is sword fighting. |
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Lots of Japanese dancing
The Omikoshi --A Shinto shrine carried during the opening parade at the festival
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After spending several hours there we went home exhausted and my husband was willing to go back that evening to take my daughter to see the Japanese film at the Gardens that night. My daughter just had to see this movie!
The only downside about this great festival is the crowds:)! The festival runs for three days but we only attended the first day:) We always see and learn new things about Japan by attending this fantastic festival.
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