Each year, over 200,000 people attend the annual San Francisco - Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. They come to see a dazzling display showcasing the color and grace of the Japanese culture in San Francisco and the diversity of the Japanese American Community.
Japantown Cherry Blossom Street Fair 2009
When:
April 11 & 12
(and the following weekend on)
April 18 & 19
Where:
San Francisco Japantown (see map & directions below)
The Street Fair will include a food bazaar, featuring traditional Japanese cuisine and cooking demonstrations, a Japanese traditional arts and crafts fair, and a children's village.
Entertainment stages will feature performances by Japanese classical and folk dancers, martial artists, taiko drummers and others. The Street Fair and the entertainment stages will be presented on the weekend of April 11 and 12th and again on the following weekend of April 19 and 20th.
The San Francisco Cherry Blossom Parade 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
One of the most popular events is the Grand Parade that winds through San Francisco and ends at Japantown. The 2009 parade date is Sunday, April 19th.
The parade begins at the Civic Center at 1:00p.m., proceeding up Polk to Post Street, and ending in Japantown at Post and Fillmore streets.
A number of performers direct from Japan entertain. Japanese classical (Buyo) and folk dance (Minyo) groups representing the San Francisco Bay Area will perform throughout the parade route like a myriad of floating butterflies, say the organizers.
Streams of colorful floats will be carrying young men and women representing Japanese American and other Asian communities. Bands will perform. Children's groups will march. Dancers will dance along the route. There are flowers and color everywhere, assure the planners.
World renowned San Francisco Taiko Dojo will keep the parade upbeat with the thundering sound of the taiko, and this year's Queen and her Court will cascade their way to Japantown. Anchoring the parade is the exciting Taru Mikoshi, that will be hoisted by over one hundred partially-clad men from throughout the san Francisco Bay Area. It is a show not to be missed.
Japantown Parking and Public Transit
The closest garage parking will be found right in Japantown at the Japan Center Garage. For public transit information into and out of San Francisco please visit 511.org. You will find a list of city-owned public parking garages here. You will find express bus service to Japantown from Market Street, downtown San Francisco, on Muni's 38-Geary line.
Actor and gay rights activist George Takei is the 2009 Parade Grand Marshal.
George Takei, best known for his portrayal of "Mr. Sulu" in the acclaimed television and film series "Star Trek," is currently a recurring guest star on NBC's hit ensemble drama series "Heroes" as Kaito Nakamura. Takei's acting career began in the summer of 1957, while attending the University of California at Berkeley, when he was cast to dub the original Japanese lines for "Rodan" into English, creating distinct voices for eight different characters. His professional acting debut occurred on live television in the pioneering drama series,"Playhouse 90." His motion picture debut was in "Ice Palace," starring Richard Burton. Other film credits include six "Star Trek" motion pictures, Disney's "Mulan" and "Mulan II," "Trekkies," "Return from the River Kwai," "Hell to Eternity," and many more. He also has many television credits, including guest starring appearances on "Will & Grace," "Scrubs," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Murder She Wrote," "The Young and the Restless," "Miami Vice," "Hawaii Five-O," "MacGyver," and others.
Takei is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Actors' Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
With the outbreak of World War II, Los Angeles-born Takei and his family were placed behind the barbed-wire enclosures of United States internment camps along with 120,000 other Japanese Americans. Takei spent most of his childhood at Camp Rohwer in the swamps of Arkansas and at wind-swept Tule Lake in northern California. At the end of the war, Takei's family returned to their native Los Angeles.
Now a community activist, Takei serves as chair of the council of governors of East West Players, the nation's foremost Asian Pacific American theater. He is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender political organization, and serves as spokesman for their Coming Out Project.
Mr. Takei is Chairman Emeritus of the Japanese American National Museum’s Board of Trustees, a member of the US-Japan Bridging Foundation’s Board of Directors, and served on the Board of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission under President Clinton. The Government of Japan recognized George’s contribution to the Japan-United States relationship by giving him the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette. The decoration was conferred by His Majesty, Emperor Akihito, at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in November 2004.
Takei has run several marathons, and carried the torch in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Torch Relay. Takei also received a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame in 1986. And in 1991 he left his signature and handprint in cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. His 1994 autobiography, "To the Stars," was well received by many fans. George Takei and his husband, Brad Altman, currently reside in Los Angeles.
His birthday is April 20, so if you see George and Brad in San Francisco on George's birthday, be sure to say hello.
Resources:San Francisco - Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
San Francisco Japantown
San Francisco Taiko Dojo
San Francisco Japantown - Wikipedia
Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco
Japan Society of Northern California
San Francisco Japantown Foundation
Center for Japanese Studies - University of California, Berkeley
Hotel Nikko , San Francisco
Hotel Kabuki, San Francisco
SFO: San Francisco International Airport
Mayor Gavin Newsom - Welcome to the City by the Bay!
San Francisco Taxicab Scams - Read this warning!
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1 comments:
Great summary - There is so much to see at this annual event.
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