Nikkei Matsuri

A Nikkei Matsuri several years ago.

One of my favorite festivals of the year is tomorrow, and so, I'm going to take a moment to write about that and put on hold the other two posts I've been working on to catch up with my April Alternative Challenge.

This year, the Nikkei Matsuri promises to be especially lovely because San Jose is hosting a delegation from our sister-city of Okayama, celebrating 60 years of friendship. This will also be the 40th anniversary of the festival itself.

In appearances and timeliness, this festival adheres a little more closely to "Children's Day" than to a "Cherry Blossom" festival, but it is very much a Japanese American Celebration-- hence 'Nikkei Matsuri.'

Artists both local and far come to vend their wares, often featuring traditional techniques in ceramics, fabric-arts and origami. There are exhibits of ikebana and calligraphy, martial arts demonstrations and, of course, great food. It is a wonderfully immersive cultural experience in a community that has over 125 years of history in San Jose.

More information on the festival, as well as the Sister City partnership with Okayama can be found at www.nikkeimatsuri.org