The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center is very excited to announce that our Akimatsuri Fall Festival will take place in person again this year!
You might be wondering, “What exactly is Akimatsuri?” Akimatsuri Festival is an outdoor family-friendly event for the community to celebrate the coming of fall where in Japan, iconic maple leaves change colors from green to bright red, orange, and yellow. Celebrating the changing of seasons is an integral part of Japanese culture and our appreciation of nature. Attendees will be treated to delicious food, performances of taiko drums, and demonstrations of martial arts, and games.
Here at the ESGVJCC, we see Akimatsuri as a chance for all of our members to enjoy plenty of yummy Japanese food, vibrant cultural performances, informational exhibits about our 30 different programs, and much more!
Last year, the event was drive-through style with socially-distanced food and craft pick-ups. We even had virtual performances from Kishin Daiko and Eibu Kan Goju Ryu who demonstrated traditional Japanese drumming and karate. These performances were recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel for anyone interested in checking them out! As with other events and programs that we have learned to adapt during the pandemic, we were proud to make this event safe and enjoyable.