(Photo by David Rosen / SlickPix Photography)
The Seattle Japanese Garden is hosting two nights of Moon Viewing this year! On both nights, the garden is magically lit up with lanterns and luminaries welcoming the arrival of the full moon in Japanese tradition.
お月見 (otsukimi), moon viewing, dates back to 8th century Japan, when on the 8th month of the old Japanese calendar, aristocrats celebrated the beauty of the autumnal full moon with poetry and music.
FRIDAY 9/13: The 1st night of Moon Viewing, guests will have a chance to enjoy live butoh performance by Kaoru Okamura accompanied by Asako Tateishi of the School of Taiko on fue, traditional music and dance from Okinawa by Mako & Munjuru and more!
SATURDAY 9/14: The 2nd night of Moon Viewing, guests are welcomed by an exciting moon-themed acrobatic performance by SANCA, koto by Marcia Takamura with James Jennings on shakuhachi, and a traditional Japanese dance performance by Fujima Fujimine Ensemble.
This year, guests will have a chance to enjoy a two-day only site-specific art installation by Split Shot Collaborative & Kathy Hattori of Botanical Colors.
A haiku competition will be held on both nights. Stroll through the garden on a beautiful summer evening and find plenty of inspiration for your poetry.
Complete your evening with a Japanese bento dinner and a tea ceremony. Three tea ceremonies will be held in the Shoseian Teahouse by Omotesenke-ryu (Friday) & Urasenke Tankokai (Saturday) during the event. A limited quantity of VIP tickets including both bento dinner and tea ceremony will be available for advance purchase at the time of ticket sale for $75.
General Admission tickets are $25, tickets including bento dinner are $40.
Tickets go on sale at 9AM on August 2, 2018
(*Ticket sale for Members opens on July 30 at 9AM. Interested in becoming a member? Visit HERE.)