Children under 12 admitted free at Yume Japanese Gardens, 2130 N. Alvernon way on May 5, 2013, Children’s Day in Japanese culture.

There will be gold fish netting, origami paper folding, traditional Japanese toys, yukata (light kimono like clothing), plus taiko drumming by Odaiko Sonora. New Hours for May at the gardens is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Traditionally May 5 was Boys’ Day, with Girls’ Day being on March 3. Note the calendar sequences of numbers, 5-5 for boys, 3-3 for girls, which is how we remembered it growing up in Hawaii, where May 5 is still considered Boys’ Day. Families fly wind sock koi over their homes on bamboo poles to indicate how many boys they have in the family. So my biological family always flew two carp koinobori for my two brothers.

Celebrate Children’s Day, and honor the boys in your family as well.

Now in its 11th year, the Southern Arizona Association for Japanese Education (SAAJE) is hosting this language contest & exhibition about Japanese culture. The half day event is at PCC West this year.

Program

Exhibitions: 12:00 – 4:00

Opening Ceremony / Speech Presentations (Category A): 12:30 – 1:00

15 Minute Break

Japanese Traditional Dance by Suzuyuki-Kai: 1:15 – 1:35

Audience Contest / Speech Presentations (Category B): 1:40 – 2:10

15 Minute Break

Aikido Demonstration by Sonoran Aikikai: 2:25 – 2:45

Audience Contest / Speech Presentations (Category C, Group 1): 2:50 – 3:15

10 Minute Break

Audience Contest / Speech Presentations (Category C, Group 2): 3:30 – 3:50

Taiko Performance by Odaiko Sonora: 4:00 – 4:30

Awards Ceremony: 4:35 – 5:00

Our Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition will have a table there, with information about us and our new website, www.southernazjapan.org. And I will be teaching hanafuda, a popular Japanese card game in Hawaii and South Korea (but not in Japan). There are also usually tables/exhibits on kyudo, origami, temari, go, koi ponds, Japanese food, calligraphy — and other “all things Japanese”. There will also be information about the newly opened Yume Japanese Gardens at 2130 N. Alvernon Way.

I love hearing taiko drumming probably because of my Japanese ethnicity, but so do a lot of people all over the world who aren’t Japanese. Venture downtown on 2nd Saturday Downtown on March 9, to hear this lively Tucson taiko group Odaiko Sonora (who celebrated their tenth year anniversary in 2012). They will be performing at 5 p.m. (to 5:45 p.m.) at the Scott Avenue Stage (between Congress and Broadway).

Odaiko Sonora is Tucson’s taiko, or Japanese ensemble drumming group. Serving southern AZ since May 2002, Odaiko Sonora is dedicated to increasing familiarity with and understanding of taiko in our community. We do this for over 30,000 people each year through classes and master workshops, performances, school residencies, teambuilding workshops and by producing concerts by internationally acclaimed taiko artists.

Lots more info here: www.tucsontaiko.org.

They will also be at Tucson Festival of Books on March 10, 1 p.m. at the UA Mall, in the Education Bldg. room 310:

Rome, Karen and Shiro (aka Bugsy) will participate in “Bringing the Arts, Literacy and Technology Together for Kids,” a session for educators and parents. We will be announcing the release of a new book featuring our plucky hero Asako and her devoted, magical dog.

I wrote about their first book “Asako, The Girl who Saved Her Village” last year (click here). They are working on a new book entitled “Asako, the Girl who Woke the Sun”, and it reportedly references the Uzume/origin of taiko myth, and is a story about Yokai spirits and magic. The plot is that young Asako journeys with her dog Shiro to find sacred drum beats that will coax the sun back.

Asako who woke the sun, illustrated by Nadia Hagen, preview image courtesy of Odaiko Sonora

For more events on 2nd Saturday Downtown on March 9, go to their event schedule (click here).

For more events at Tucson Festival of Books (March 9 and 10) go to their website (click here).