25th Annual Japantown Children's Day Festival
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In recognition of Japan's national holiday to celebrate children, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) and the Japan Center Malls East and West present the Annual Kodomo No Hi (Children's Day) Festival on Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 11:00am to 4:00pm at the Japantown Peace Plaza and Buchanan Mall. Admission is free and open to the public.
This year we celebrate the 25th Annual Kodomo No Hi Festival and are excited to announce that we are adding a Japanese folk tale theme to the event. Children and families alike will be able to listen to storytelling's of three of Japan's most beloved folk tales, Momotaro, Kintaro, and Kaguya-Hime. In addition, the festival offers many fun games, crafts, bounce houses, and cultural performances for attendees to enjoy.
In 1992, JCCCNC Executive Director Paul Osaki noticed that there was very little being done for children and youth in the community that focused on Japanese culture. The Annual Kodomo No Hi Festival was first held in 1992 inside the JCCCNC gymnasium, but as the years have gone by, the festival has grown and has since been moved outdoors to the Japantown Peace Plaza. Having grown up in a family that celebrated Kodomo No Hi, Paul Osaki feels the importance of passing along Japanese cultural traditions by educating families about the special holiday that is dedicated to children. "Being able to pass down and share culture in a fun, interesting, and exciting way to children and seeing the community come together to host this annual festival is what I enjoy most about the event,"
In addition to hosting an annual festival demonstrating the Japanese Children's Day holiday's cultural practices, including traditional doll displays and flying symbolic koinobori carp kites, the JCCCNC hopes this community-wide event provides a great opportunity for families to create new memories and carry on their own cultural traditions each year.
Free
Presented by Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California