Courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Garden
This Labor Day Weekend, the Missouri Botanical Garden will be offering a lot more than botany. Always a source of elaborate and diverse displays, the garden will be taken over by sumo wrestlers, bon odori dancers, taiko drummers, and bonsai trees during the 36th annual Japanese Festival. This year’s event, held over the three-day Labor Day weekend, has a cherry blossom theme to honor the 100th anniversary of the gift of cherry trees from Japan to Washington D.C. in 1912.
New this year, writer and anthropologist Liza Dalby will give five illustrated lectures in Shoenberg Theater featuring anecdotes about her experiences with Japanese Culture. Dalby is the author of From Geisha to Gardener: A Life Seasoned in Japan, which details her experiences living and working in Japan. Dalby’s lectures will be held at 12:30 and 5 p.m. on Saturday, 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, and 10:30 a.m. on Monday.
Retired sumo wrestlers from Hawaii and Japan will demonstrate and discuss the unique lifestyles and training regimens followed by these traditional warriors. Additionally, visitors can see martial arts demonstrations of judo, kendo, karate-do, and koryu bugei.
If combat’s not your thing, you can attend lessons on Japanese flower arranging and the proper method of pruning a bonsai tree. There will also be bon odori dancing, tours of the private Tea House Island, and an evening showing of the anime feature “Summer Wars” on Saturday at 8 p.m. On Sunday, guests can watch a kimono fashion show in the Shoenberg Theater.
Twice daily throughout the weekend, St. Louis Osuwa Taiko will stage thunderous taiko drumming performance in the outdoor Cohen Amphitheater. At the Spink Pavilion, kids can try their hands at origami paper folding and Japanese games. Also a hit with the kids, the “Candyman” Masaji Terasawa will be back with magic tricks and sugary treats. For more substantial fare, the food court will be offering Japanese cuisine—from sushi to yakisoba noodles to green tea ice cream.
Admission to the festival is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors ages 65 and older, and $5 for children ages 3-12. Missouri Botanical Garden members can get in for $5 and members’ children (ages 12 and under) will be admitted for free.
The festival, which will be open on Saturday, September 1 and Sunday, September 2 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature a variety of displays, activities, and performances to dazzle and engage visitors of all ages. For more information, visit missouribotanicalgarden.org.
