(Photo by David Rosen / SlickPix Photography)
The Seattle Japanese Garden is hosting two nights of Moon Viewing again! 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.
Thank you so much for your interest in Moon Viewing! This event has SOLD OUT.
Featured Artists:
FRIDAY
Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor and dancers
Michael Dylan Welch of Haiku Northwest
While we will not be selling bento dinners, we will have snacks and non-alcoholic drinks for purchase during the event this year. There will be no tea ceremonies to ensure the health and safety of the guests, volunteers and staff.
Moon Viewing is a primarily outdoor event. Guests will be required to wear masks while checking in to the event, in the restrooms, and in the Tateuchi Community Room. Social distancing is recommended in the garden. Attendance numbers have also been limited for the safety of guests, volunteers, and staff.
Featured exhibit Northwest Nikkei by Michelle Kumara will be on display in the Tateuchi Community Room during the event.
About Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor:
Gabrielle Kazuko Nomura Gainor is a multiracial Asian American dance artist and activist. She is a grant recipient from Seattle's Office of Arts & Culture, the Washington State Arts Commission, Humanities Washington, and the Japanese American Citizens League. She gains inspiration from her community, and the diverse group of Asian American storytellers and dancers in her projects. gabriellekazuko.com
Tsukiko ("Moon Child")
A meditation on grief, trauma, and healing: "Tsukiko" expands on Gabrielle's previous contemporary dances “Farewell Shikata ga nai" and "To the API Women Who Made Us, With Love." The result is a performance inspired by the brilliance of Asian American womanhood, the beauty of ancestral wisdom, and the enduring ties of community.
About Sovan:
Sovan is an instrumental ambient musical collaboration between long-time friends Tomo Nakayama and Jeramy Koepping. They combine ambient electronic loops, synthesizers, acoustic pianos and electric guitars, cassette tape manipulation and field recordings collected in their neighborhood of West Seattle.
For the Moon Viewing event they will debut in a live setting, playing songs from their catalog, hand selected for the event.
About Japanese Koto Club:
Mirei Zaborac moved from Japan to U.S. in 1989. Living in Kent, Washington.
She started to take koto lessons since 5 years old and learned under Yumiko Kawakami in Tokyo, Shukin Noda in Kyoto and Kuniko Takamura in Seattle.
She plays traditional koto music, modern songs and church songs.
She plays at local event, company events, schools, nursing homes, wedding receptions, memorial services, private parties and so on to share her passion.
Her favorite quote is “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” - Helen Keller.