Japan Fair
2018-07-07 12:15 - 12:45 UTC | Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th Street, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Seattle Kokon Taiko, once again, will be performing for Japan Fair!
Japan Fair is a free, two-day festival in Bellevue, WA, that celebrates Japanese art and culture. Formerly known as “Aki Matsuri”, Japan Fair is a communal endeavor of musicians, artisans, community organizations, and businesses from both Japan and the U.S. who come together to share their products, talents, and knowledge of Japan. Through live performances on stage, hands on exhibits, cultural workshops, and vendor booths, the public is immersed in the music, dance, artistry, and philosophy of Japan.

CIDBIA Dragonfest
2018-07-15 13:00 - 13:25 UTC | Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104, United States
Seattle Kokon Taiko will be joining in the festivities for the 2018 CIDBIA Dragonfest in Seattle’s own International District!

The Dragon Fest event will feature non-stop cultural performances including Dragon and Lion dances, Traditional Korean drumming, martial arts demonstrations, the Chinese Girls Drill Team, and much, much, more. For Seattle’s foodies we are proud to bring back the Annual $3 Food Walk with over 40 restaurants offering a wide array of international $3 bites and a few bonus retail!
From Chinese lion / dragon dances and traditional Korean drumming to Pacific Islander dances and bhangra/bollywood performance; the Dragon Fest features 14 hours of non-stop cultural performances from around the world!

From Hiroshima to Hope
2018-08-06 18:45 - 19:00 UTC | Green Lake Park, 7312 West Green Lake Drive North, Seattle, WA, United States
From Hiroshima to Hope has been created by local peace, faith and community organizations every year since 1984, The Seattle event is the oldest and largest anywhere outside Japan. More than a thousand attendees participated again last year. The 2018 From Hiroshima to Hope Planning Committee welcomes all those who wish to come and experience the feeling of community, the music and the sight of a thousand lanterns drifting on the lake. It offers the hope that we can resolve international conflicts without violence, and learn the habit and technique of living in peace with all our neighbors on this earth.

Newport Way Library Summer Youth Workshop
2018-08-08 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | Newport Way Library, 14250 SE Newport Way, Bellevue, WA, 98006, United States
Seattle Kokon Taiko will be conducting a hands-on musical learning experience for youth ages 10-18 at Newport Way Library.

For more information, please contact Newport Way Library

2018 Seattle Asian American Film Festival
2018-08-25 19:15 - 19:35 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S, seattle, WA, 98104, United States
SAAFF is a non-profit film festival that aims to provide a space for Asian American voices, perspectives and histories by screening independent films that reflect the diversity and richness of the city’s Asian American community.

2018 Bumbershoot
2018-08-31 - 2018-09-02 | WA
Now approaching half a century, Bumbershoot is one of Seattle’s largest cultural touchstones. Each year, thousands of people from across the country flock to Seattle Center to attend this acclaimed festival, which has become one of the biggest and most-loved contemporary festivals in North America, while having maintained its Northwest spirit and innovative roots. The name Bumbershoot was chosen both as a knowing nod of respect to our city’s most famous weather pattern, and a symbol of the overarching mission of this festival: to be an umbrella for all of the arts. It’s seeds were planted in 1971 with Festival 71–the brainchild of then Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman. The next year Bumbershoot was born: a multi-disciplinary arts festival showcasing the best of comedy, dance, film, literary arts, music, performing arts, theatre, visual arts and more. Spanning the Seattle Center grounds, a campus originally created for the 1962 World’s Fair, Bumbershoot has continued its legacy of celebrating innovation and the search for what’s next.
The programming at Bumbershoot strives to be a contemporary microcosm of what is current across all disciplines and genres within those art forms, giving our audience opportunities few other festivals in the world offer.

Vashon First Annual Japanese Street Festival 2018
2018-09-22 12:00 - 12:30 UTC | 18017 107th Ave SW, Vashon, WA, 98070, United States
First Annual Vashon Island Japanese Street Festival.
Vashon Japanese Festival
Saturday, September 22, 2018
10:00am – 4:00pm
SKT Performance: 12:00pm – 12:30pm

Mukai Farm & Garden
18017 107th Avenue SW
Vashon, WA 98070

Ghost Game XII: Into the Dark
2018-10-18 19:30 - 2018-11-03 19:30 UTC | Arcadia Seattle, 943 NW 50th Street, Seattle, WA, 98107, United States
Oct. 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 31
Nov. 1, 2, 3
7:30pm – Doors Open
8:00pm – Performance Begins
75 minute performance with no intermission
Join us for our 12th annual Ghost Game, to be presented this year in our new home – Arcadia in the Ballard neighborhood. This intimate, immersive theater experience will include acrobatic theater, aerial dance, puppetry, and terrifying tales from myth and folklore as only the Cabiri can present. Into the Dark explores how humans draw darkness upon themselves, the actions of their lives invoking darkness from the supernal realms. Travel back to the ancient world with us and find images of great people who affected their own lives and the lives of those they love by awakening the darkness of the gods. Witness their journey into what lies beyond, accompanied by psychopomps both angelic and cthonic. Live accompaniment by celadon and vox vespertinus and Seattle Kokon Taiko make Into the Dark an experience like no other.

2019 Mochi Tsuki - 30th Anniversary Celebration
2019-01-05 11:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Join us for this free annual community event!
2019 Mochi Tsuki – 30th Anniversary Celebration
Date: Saturday, January 5, 2019

Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm
Place: Woodward Middle School (new venue!)
9125 Sportsman Club Road NE
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Seattle Kokon Taiko will be performing at 12pm and 2pm (1/2 hr performance each)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOEtHq4d6rc&feature=youtu.be

2019 Day of Remembrance Taiko Festival
2019-02-17 13:00 - 16:00 UTC | Seattle University, 901 12th Ave, seattle, WA, 98122, United States
Sunday Feb 17th @1-4pm at the Pigott Auditorium, Seattle University.
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3905798

2019 Lunar New Year
2019-03-02 11:00 - 16:00 UTC | Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S, seattle, WA, 98104, United States
LUNAR NEW YEAR
The Year of the Boar/Pig is here so don’t forget to save the date for the 2019 Lunar New Year Celebration! Over the last few years, the Lunar New Year Celebration is one of the largest event of its kind in the region and showcases diversity, richness and culture of the Asian community. The collaboration with other neighborhood businesses/organizations has helped draw thousands of visitors from throughout the region for a day of festivities. The celebration include traditional dragon and lion dances, Japanese Taiko Drumming, martial arts and other cultural performances on the Main Stage. Combined with arts, crafts and a variety of family friendly activities there is something for everyone.
Don’t forget the return of the neighborhood’s Annual $3 Food Walk presented by Cathay Pacific Airways! Enjoy a variety of foods and enter for a chance to win TWO round trip airfare from Seattle to Hong Kong!

The event is from 11am – 4pm.
Seattle Kokon Taiko will be performing at 3:30pm!

Institute of Qigong and Integrative Medicine's 2019 Spring Festival Celebration
2019-03-10 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
Opening the Institute of Qigong and Integrative Medicine’s 2019 Spring Festival Celebration, Seattle Kokon Taiko will be bringing joyous thunder to welcome the blessings of the Earth Pig at the Community Healing Arts & Spring Festival.

March 10, 2019
Event: 6pm – 9pm
SKT Performance: 6pm
Mercer Island Community & Event Center
Register
Ticket Price: $30
At the door: $35

Never Again is Now: The Art and Activism of Millennial Nikkei
2019-04-07 12:30 - 14:00 UTC | Wing Luke Museum, 719 South King Street, Seattle, wa, 98104
Doors open at noon with live taiko drumming by Seattle Kokon Taiko at 12:15 p.m.
Event begins at 12:30 p.m.
Free event
How are millennials of Japanese ancestry honoring the legacy of their
grandparents and great-grandparents who were incarcerated during World
War II? Why is it important to tell this story of racial prejudice and
civil liberties denied for generations to come? Seattle JACL and
Densho invite you for an afternoon of art, live performance, and
dialogue at Wing Luke museum. The event features spoken-word poetry by
Troy Osaki and Kurt Yokoyama Ikeda; a presentation by photographer
Kayla Isomura, creator of The Suitcase Project; and a performance by
Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor and dancers, who will present an
excerpt of “Farewell Shikata ga nai.” The discussion will include time
for audience input and questions, and will be moderated by Nina Nobuko
Wallace, Communications Coordinator for Densho.

Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival
2019-04-28 14:30 - 15:00 UTC | Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, seattle, WA, 98109
Friday 4/26: 10am-6pm
Saturday 4/27: 10am-6pm
Sunday 4/28: 10am-6pm
Seattle Kokon Taiko will be performing Sunday at 2:30pm in the Armory at Seattle Center
http://www.cherryblossomfest.org/
Founded on a sunny afternoon on the warm grass of Seattle’s Seward Park on May 8, 1976, the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival was moved to the Seattle Center in 1978 and has grown to become a three-day celebration enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people over the decades.
Over the years, the award winning non-profit Festival remains a free, life-enriching experience. It is dedicated to increasing the understanding and friendship between the people of Japan and the Pacific Northwest. As a public service, the Festival presents culturally educational programs, arts, technologies, and the rich heritage of Japan. Join us in celebrating the beautiful sakura, cherry tree, and the culturally entertaining and education blossom it inspires each year: the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival. Long may it blossom in your heart!
Explore and experience the cultural roots and contemporary influences of Japan through live performances, visual arts, hands-on activities, foods and games including Taiko (Japanese drumming) and artisan demonstrations.

St. Jude Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
2019-06-09 07:00 - 09:30 UTC | TBD
For over 20 years, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series has made running fun by infusing each course with live bands, cheer teams and more. Our focus to deliver best-in-class running events, where music is core and our community encourages participants to feel like they are something bigger than themselves. We promise to bring more music, better runner support, improved technology, and more community engagement to every event, every step of the way.

Want to join the race? Register here!
Race info here!

ACRS 2019 Walk for Rice
2019-06-22 12:10 - 12:40 UTC | Seward Park, 5900 Lake Washington Blvd. S, Seattle, WA, 98118, United States
Walk for Rice is a family and pet friendly event features lion dancing, a martial arts demonstration, Japanese taiko drumming and a performance by the Seattle Chinese Girls Drill Team, before a 2.5 mile walk/run around Seward Park. Come take part in this long-standing and beloved community tradition and help raise money to fight hunger in our community.

Kona Kitchen - Lynnwood Grand Opening
2019-06-22 15:30 - 16:00 UTC | Kona Kitchen Lynnwood, 3805 196th St SW, Lynnwood, WA, 98036, United States

Japan Fair 2019
2019-06-29 10:30 - 11:00 UTC | Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th Street, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Japan Fair is a free, two-day festival in Bellevue, WA, that celebrates Japanese art and culture. Formerly known as “Aki Matsuri”, Japan Fair is a communal endeavor of musicians, artisans, community organizations, and businesses from both Japan and the U.S. who come together to share their products, talents, and knowledge of Japan. Through live performances on stage, hands on exhibits, cultural workshops, and vendor booths, the public is immersed in the music, dance, artisanry, and philosophy of Japan.

Our mission is to nurture and promote the traditional and modern cultural arts of Japan. We strive to celebrate Japan’s heritage while also sharing new trends in today’s Japan.

CIDBIA Dragon Fest
2019-06-29 18:30 - 19:00 UTC | Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104, United States

Music by the Lake
2019-07-21 13:00 - 13:45 UTC | Lundeen Park, 10200 Lundeen Parkway, Lake Stevens, WA, 98258, United States

From Hiroshima to Hope
2019-08-06 19:10 - 19:25 UTC | Green Lake Park, 7312 West Green Lake Drive North, Seattle, WA, 98115, United States
From Hiroshima to Hope has been created by local peace, faith and community organizations every year since 1984, The Seattle event is the oldest and largest anywhere outside Japan. More than a thousand attendees participated again last year. The 2017 From Hiroshima to Hope Planning Committee welcomes all those who wish to come and experience the feeling of community, the music and the sight of a thousand lanterns drifting on the lake. It offers the hope that we can resolve international conflicts without violence, and learn the habit and technique of living in peace with all our neighbors on this earth.

Taiko 10
2019-08-09 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | Portland State University

Vashon Island Japan Festival
2019-09-14 | Vashon Island, 18017 107th Ave SW, Vashon Island, WA, 98070, United States
Date: September 14, 2019
Festival Time: 11:00am – 8:00pm
SKT Performance Times: 12:00pm & 2:30pm
Location: Mukai Farm & Garden, 18017 107th Avenue SW, Vashon, WA 98070

Join Mukai Farm & Garden for our 2nd annual Vashon Japan Festival!
Celebrate the newly replanted gardens of Mukai Farm & Garden. Learn what’s happening at the historic fruit processing plant and how you can be a part of this vibrant community venue.

The Vashon Japan Festival is a traditional Japanese style street fair with activities for all ages, including:

Taiko performances by Seattle Kokon Taiko
Kabuki Academy performance
Butoh and modern dance
A community Bon Odori dance
Mochi making, a traditional rice-cake pounding demonstration
A children’s village with Japanese games & art projects
Local artisans demonstrating and selling Japanese inspired wares
Ikebana and Bonsai
Domestic market Japanese vehicles
Evening lantern walk
Outdoor dining with food from May’s Kitchen, recently recognized as one of Washington’s top 100 restaurants, Vashon Baking Company treats and mochi sweets, Japanese inspired hot dogs, Sake, perry and Japanese beer garden,

For more information, visit the event website.

2019 Japan Week @ Bellevue College
2019-09-28 11:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
2019 Japan Week @ Bellevue College
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Event: 10:00am – 5:00pm

Bellevue College
3000 Landerholm Circle SE, Bellevue, WA

SKT Performance: 11:00am – 11:30am
Bldg. L-Courtyard

FREE ADMISSION
FREE PARKING
FREE WIFI

The opening Saturday of Japan Week is a Japanese festival “Matsuri,” open to the public and dedicated to celebrating Japan’s rich culture and history. Join us for a day of games, music, workshops, and activities: Play with traditional Japanese toys in the “kids” corner, shop at our Flea Market full of authentic Japanese gifts, learn the Code of Samurai “Bushido,” show off your karaoke talents, and participate in the cosplay contest.
Make sure you experience all that the Japan Week Festival has to offer. Plan your visit by checking out our full list of activities, exhibitors and performers from the greater Puget Sound region!

Website: https://studentweb.bellevuecollege.edu/japan-
Japan Week 2019
week/

Event Schedule: https://studentweb.bellevuecollege.edu/japan-week/japan-week-schedule-2/
Photo/Poster: attached
YouTube Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCyJtsPoYls

Japanese Garden Maple Festival
2019-10-05 11:15 - 11:45 UTC | Seattle Japanese Garden, 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle, WA, 98112, United States
Photo by Eric Guevremont
Join us for Momijigari (紅葉狩り) – the beloved tradition of appreciating nature’s art. Each day brings out more colors to the Seattle Japanese Garden during this time of year creating a breathtaking view.
We have Self-guided Maple Tour Brochures, Maple Scavenger Hunt & Maple Leaf Origami available (11am-1pm) everyday with other special cultural experiences waiting for you on weekends during the festival.
11 am – 1 pm – Maple Scavenger Hunt & Maple Origami
Photo by Eric Guevremont
11:15 am | 12pm Taiko – Performance by Seattle Kokon Taiko
1:15 pm – Naginata Demonstration by Pacific Northwest Naginata Federation
* Admission to the garden ends 30 minutes prior to the closing time at 4:30pm
* Plan to arrive at least one hour prior to the closing time
* Tripods are not allowed in the garden

Redmond Lights Holiday Event
2019-12-07 16:00 - 16:30 UTC | Redmond City Hall Municipal Stage, 15670 NE 85th St, Redmond, WA, 98052, United States
This progressive, three-part event starts at Redmond City Hall and takes you on a luminary walk along the Sammamish River Trail to Downtown Park and the Redmond Town Center. At City Hall campus, you’ll enjoy music performances and the tree lighting ceremony! View light and art installations and thousands of luminaries as you stroll down the Redmond Central Connector. More art and music awaits you at Downtown Park. On Saturday evening, a Winter Wonderland awaits you at Redmond Town Center, with a carousel, live ice carver, and even more performances. Sunday night gives you an encore opportunity to experience the luminary walk to Downtown Park once more.
Begin your evening at City Hall and enjoy live entertainment (Seattle Kokon Taiko will be performing here!), interactive booths, and a tree lighting at 5 p.m. Stroll along the luminaries and art installations to Downtown Park and Redmond Town Center, where you will find more entertainment and activities.

Mochi Tsuki Festival at Bainbridge Island
2020-01-04 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | WA
31st Annual Mochi Tsuki Festival
Saturday, January 4, 2020
Woodward Middle School
9125 Sportsman Club Rd NE, Bainbridge Island
11 AM to 3 PM

Seattle Kokon Taiko Performances at 12pm and 2pm
This event is free and no pre-registration is required.
Bainbridge Island Ferry Schedule

For over a millennium, making and eating the sweet rice treat mochi (moe-chee) has been a celebrated New Year’s tradition in Japan, with generations of families and communities coming together to wish good health and prosperity for the new year.
Join the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC) at the annual Mochi Tsuki Festival.
Highlights include performances from the acclaimed Seattle taiko drum group Kokon Taiko, a mochi making presentation, and a pictoral history of the award-winning exhibit “Kodomo No Tameni – For the sake of the children.”
BIJAC members will prepare some batches of mochi in the centuries-old method of first steaming the sweet rice over an open fire, then placing the cooked rice into a warm stone or concrete bowl called an usu. Using large wooden mallets, two people rhythmically pound the rice in the usu, while with bare hands a third person swiftly moves the rice between each mallet crash.
After several minutes of vigorous pounding, the rice becomes a thick, smooth dough – mochi. From manual pounding in the usu or special mochi-making appliances, the mochi is removed and children of all ages hand form the steaming-hot mochi into small handball-sized cakes, filling some of them with a sweet bean paste called ahn.
While arguably mochi is best eaten hot and fresh, many enjoy roasting it in the oven, then dipping the puffy and crisp hot mochi cakes into a combination of sugar and soy sauce. For future enjoyment, mochi can be frozen in airtight bags.
You can experience the tradition of mochi tsuki (moe–chee sue–key) or “mochi–making” first hand. Pound rice and make mochi cakes along with the mochi masters.
Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgvGoWwOcYU&feature=emb_logo

CIDBIA Lunar New Year Celebration
2020-02-08 15:30 - 15:50 UTC | Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S, seattle, WA, 98104, United States
CIDBIA Lunar New Year Celebration
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Festival: 11am – 4pm
SKT Performance: 3:30pm
Seattle’s Chinatown-International District
FREE ADMISSION
2020 will be the Year of the Rat/Mouse. Our Lunar New Year Celebration is one of the largest events of its kind in the region and showcases diversity, richness and culture of the Asian community. The collaboration with other neighborhood businesses/organizations has helped draw thousands of visitors from throughout the region for a day of festivities. The celebration include traditional dragon and lion dances, martial arts, Japanese Taiko Drumming, and other cultural performances on the Main Stage. Visitors are also able to participate in our Annual $3 Food Walk and sample items from local businesses. Combined with arts, crafts and a variety of family friendly activities there is something for everyone.

Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival
2022-04-10 15:15 - 15:45 UTC | Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, seattle, WA, 98109
Saturday 4/9: 11am-4pm
Sunday 4/10: 11am-4pm
Seattle Kokon Taiko will be performing Sunday at 3:15pm in the Armory at Seattle Center
http://www.cherryblossomfest.org/
Founded on a sunny afternoon on the warm grass of Seattle’s Seward Park on May 8, 1976, the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival was moved to the Seattle Center in 1978 and has grown to become a three-day celebration enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people over the decades.
Over the years, the award winning non-profit Festival remains a free, life-enriching experience. It is dedicated to increasing the understanding and friendship between the people of Japan and the Pacific Northwest. As a public service, the Festival presents culturally educational programs, arts, technologies, and the rich heritage of Japan. Join us in celebrating the beautiful sakura, cherry tree, and the culturally entertaining and education blossom it inspires each year: the Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival. Long may it blossom in your heart!
Explore and experience the cultural roots and contemporary influences of Japan through live performances, visual arts, hands-on activities, foods and games including Taiko (Japanese drumming) and artisan demonstrations.

CIDBIA: Celebrate Year of the Tiger
2022-04-30 15:30 - 16:00 UTC | Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S, seattle, WA, 98104, United States
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Festival: 11am – 4pm
SKT Performance: 3:30pm
Seattle’s Chinatown-International District
2022 will be the Year of the Tiger. Our Lunar New Year Celebration is one of the largest events of its kind in the region and showcases diversity, richness and culture of the Asian community. The collaboration with other neighborhood businesses/organizations has helped draw thousands of visitors from throughout the region for a day of festivities. The celebration include traditional dragon and lion dances, martial arts, Japanese Taiko Drumming, and other cultural performances on the Main Stage. Combined with arts, crafts and a variety of family friendly activities there is something for everyone.
