Hanamatsuri & Kodomo No Hi at Garden of the Phoenix

From the Japanese Arts Foundation: 

Join the Japanese Arts Foundation in partnership with the Japanese Culture Center, Chicago Park District, Shubukai, Tsukasa Taiko, and the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago for an afternoon full of dance, drums, and of course cherry blossoms!

We invite you to the annual Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, festival! This family and friend centered event is held in Jackson Park’s historic Garden of the Phoenix and the surrounding Columbian Basin, which is home to about 160 cherry blossom trees that typically bloom each spring. The trees are located just south of the Museum of Science and Industry and in the Garden of the Phoenix on the Wooded Island, a short walk south of the Columbian Basin.

This year’s celebration overlaps with Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day, where we celebrate children for their individual strengths, personalities, and happiness. Carp streamers are often on hand to acknowledge the plight of the carp needing to swim upstream, against the current, to thrive – much like children growing up! To celebrate this endeavor, we invite everyone for the annual opening of the waterfall for the season in the Japanese garden!

The day includes performances from Shubukai (Fujima Ryu Classical Japanese dance) and Tsukasa Taiko (taiko drum), origami folding, activities for children including mini taiko drum workshops, and more!.