Japanese Festival

9 am - 9 pm: Labor Day Weekend

Experience the thunderous pounding rhythms of the taiko drums, sumo wrestling, and more at this three-day cultural adventure right here at the Garden

For more than 40 years, the Missouri Botanical Garden has produced the annual Japanese Festival in conjunction with the Japanese Activities Committee, a coalition of several Japanese-American organizations that provide art, dance, food and entertainment for thousands of visitors each year

Teahouse Island Tours

Tours depart hourly on the hour from 10 am - 5 pm Saturday and Sunday

Japanese Festival is your rare opportunity to visit the enchanting Teahouse Island in the heart of the Japanese Garden lake These intimate guided tours will lead you to the secluded island home of an authentic soan, or farm hut-style teahouse, gifted to the Garden by Missouri's sister state of Nagano, Japan

Schedule:

10am - 4pm: Origami Display at Sachs Museum 1st Floor

10am - 8pm: Calligraphy Display at Spink

10am - 5pm: Children’s Activities at Spink, Balloon Art at Kemper Center for Home Gardening,

Teahouse Island Tours at hourly

10am - 7pm: Ikebana and Bonsai Display at Farr Auditorium

10am - 10:30am: Aikido at Bottlebrush East

10am - 10:45am: Shodo Demonstration at Bayer Event Center

10am - 11am: Bonsai Demonstration at Jack C Taylor Visitor Center Meeting Rooms

10:15am - 11:15am: Eisa Yui at Cohen Amphitheater

10:30am - 11am: Storytelling at Plant Lab

11am - 12:30pm: Cooking Demonstration at Kemper Kitchen

11:15am - 12pm: Wagashi Demonstration at Bayer Event Center

11:30am - 1pm: Ikebana Demonstration & Hands On Experience for Children at Jack C Taylor

Visitor Center Meeting Rooms

12pm - 1pm: Sumo at Cohen Amphitheater

12:30pm - 1pm: Kimono Fashion at Bayer Event Center

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Rakuugo Featured Performer at Plant Lab

1pm - 2pm: Eisa Yui at Yagura Stage

1:30pm - 2pm: Kimono Fashion at Bayer Event Center, Ice Sculpture at Cohen Amphitheater,

Wagashi Workshop at Jack C Taylor Visitor Center Meeting Rooms

1:30pm - 2:30pm: Kendo at Bottlebrush East

1:30pm - 3pm: Cooking Demonstration at Kemper Kitchen

2pm - 2:30pm: Yasu at Plant Lab, Dashi Procession at Spink Pavillion

2pm - 3pm: Koryu Bugei at Yagura Stage

2:30pm - 3pm: Kimono Fashion at Bayer Event Center, Omikoshi Procession at Spink Pavillion

2:30pm - 3:30pm: St. Louis Osuwa Taiko at Cohen Amphitheater

3pm - 3:30pm: Yasu at Plant Lab, Wagashi Workshop at Jack C Taylor Visitor Center Meeting Rooms

3:30pm - 4pm: Dashi Procession at Spink Pavillion

3:30pm - 4:30pm: Way of Tea at Bayer Event Center, Karate at Bottlebrush East

3:30pm - 5pm: Cooking Demonstration at Kemper Kitchen

4pm - 5pm: Eisa Yui at Yagura Stage, Zen and Japanese Culture at Plant Lab

4pm - 5:30pm: Ikebana Demonstration & Hands On Experience at Jack C Taylor Visitor Center Meeting Rooms

5pm - 6pm: Rakuugo Featured Performer at Bayer Event Center, Sumo at Cohen Amphitheater

5:30pm - 6:30pm: Bon Odori at Yagura Stage

6:30pm - 7pm: Yasu at Bayer Event Center

7pm - 8pm: St. Louis Osuwa Taiko at Cohen Amphitheater

7:30pm - 9pm: Toro Nagashi at Japanese Garden

8pm - 10pm: Candlelight Walk at Plum Viewing Arbor, Anime Movie at Bayer Event Center