Seattle-based Japanese artist Mari Ichimasu's signature series, Fur Coats and Backpacks; The Travel Cats will be on display through June 30, 2024. Come meet Mari during the opening reception on Thursday, May 2 at 5pm. Admission to the garden is free after Noon on 5/2 for Free First Thursday.
After a cold winter, koi at the Seattle Japanese Garden are looking forward to our friendly visitors (and a feast)!
Koi at the Seattle Japanese Garden are awake from their winter hibernation and ready to eat. For our May Family Saturday on May 11th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., we’ll have free koi food(*Subject to change), a koi presentation and Q & A by the Washington Koi & Water Garden Society, and a Taiko Drum Performance by Kaze Taiko (TBD).
FREE admission to all youth 12 and younger from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Family Saturday.
In partnership with Youth in Focus, the Seattle Japanese Garden is pleased to host our first youth photography workshops in the garden. Young photographers (from grades 8 through 12), come and learn about the Japanese stroll garden, tea ceremony, and create inspiring images for our community.
You will learn how to dye fabric with indigo, a plant also known as Indigofera tinctoria.
Demonstration will be held in the Meadow area North of the Tea House from 11am-1:00pm and is FREE and open to the public. Space is limited, so plan to arrive early!
Admission is FREE from 10am to 2pm for visitors 12 and under for April Family Saturday!
For the August Free First Thursday, Wandering and Wondering returns to Seattle Japanese Garden for Butoh performance! Throughout the three-hour event since 2010, you will encounter dancers and musicians dispersed in surprising locations in the garden. Wandering and Wondering is a sensory feast not to be missed. Entry to the garden will be FREE all day.
Join us on Thursday, August 1st, 5pm – 6:00pm in the Tateuchi Community Room for a Lecture by Nobuko Horikawa. Professor Nobuko from Seattle University will teach us the Japanese fun and scary Yokai (Ghost) world!
In partnership with Youth in Focus, the Seattle Japanese Garden is pleased to host our second youth photography workshops in the garden. Young photographers (from grades 8 through 12), come and learn about the Japanese stroll garden, tea ceremony, and create inspiring images for our community.
Kyoko Matsuda, representing the Omotesenke style, will deliver a lecture on the Japanese tea ceremony on April 4th. Kyoko and her group have been demonstrating the Japanese Tea Ceremony at the Shoseian for many years. Attendees are invited to learn about the essence of the Japanese Traditional Tea Ceremony from historical and philosophical viewpoints.
*This lecture will be held in the community room, and traditional matcha tea will not be served.
Join us for this rare opportunity to experience the enchanting Shakuhachi music of Kaoru Kakizakai from Japan! Kaoru Kakizakai will be performing at various locations inside the garden from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. Feel free to engage with him during breaks if you have any questions.
Come celebrate the 2024 Garden opening with us on Sunday, March 2nd.
Shakuhachi player Kodo Araki will bring us the sounds of spring with a performance in the Kinko-Ryu style.
Schedule
10:00am – 2:00pm Recorded Shinto Blessing (at a community room)
11:30am – 12:30pm Shakuhachi (Bamboo Flute) Performance
1:00pm and 2:00pm Guided Tours
In partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Arboretum Foundation is developing a plan to reconstruct the stone wall at the north end of the Seattle Japanese Garden pond, modify the pathways in this area to improve accessibility, and add a new garden structure that was originally envisioned by designer Juki Iida but never realized. Preliminary design concepts and plans will be presented at a community meeting on Thursday, November 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Graham Visitors Center.
Free admission all day for Free First Thursday. Hours are 10am - 4pm.
Last entry 45 min. prior to closing at 3:15.
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.
* Admission to the garden ends 45 minutes prior to the closing time (No admission after 4:15pm)
* Plan to arrive at least one hour prior to the closing time
* Tripods are not allowed in the garden
Have you ever watched the intricate process of textiles being woven up close? Join us for the September Family Saturday when textile artist Satoko Pettersson will be demonstrating this fascinating art form in the Tateuchi Community Room from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. * Free admission to all youth 12 and younger and seniors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Family Saturday and Respect for Elders Day.
For Free First Thursday in September, Seattle Japanese Garden welcomes Ritsuko (“Ricky”) Kashiba for a calligraphy demonstration and a hands-on calligraphy table.
Ritsuko (“Ricky”) Kashiba is a calligraphy instructor based in Seattle, WA. Ritsuko has been practicing calligraphy for over 40 years and has been teaching for the past 25 years. She is a member of Beikoku Shodo Kenkyu Kai, whose mission is to carry the tradition of the art of shodo and inspire interest throughout the United States and Japan since 1965.
Join us on Thursday, 9/7 from 4:30pm-5:30pm in the Tateuchi Community Room. Admission is free all day for Free First Thursday.
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.
Please stay tuned and check back here for more information!
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.
Please stay tuned and check back here for more information!
You will learn how to dye fabric with indigo, a plant also known as Indigofera tinctoria.
Demonstration will be held in the Meadow area North of the Tea House from 11am-1:00pm and is FREE and open to the public. Space is limited, so plan to arrive early!
Admission is FREE from 10am to 2pm for visitors 12 and under for April Family Saturday!
Join us on Thursday, August 3rd, 5:00pm – 6:30pm in the Tateuchi Community Room for Art Reception: Youth Photography Exhibit by the Youth Photography Workshops participants. The new talented group of artists participated in our youth photography workshops at the Garden this spring. The workshops were held in partnership with Youth In Focus. It is part of our Free First Thursday and the admission is free for all day.
For the August Free First Thursday, Wandering and Wondering returns to Seattle Japanese Garden for Butoh performance! Throughout the three-hour event, you will encounter dancers and musicians dispersed in surprising locations in the garden. Wandering and Wondering is a sensory feast not to be missed. Entry to the garden will be FREE all day.
Don’t miss this exciting photography exhibit by our youth artists! These new talented group of artists participated in our youth photography workshops at the Garden this spring.
The exhibit will be on display in the Tateuchi Community Room till Sunday, October 1st.
*Final entry to the garden is 45 minutes before closing.
Join us for Garden Party - Festival for the Senses, the evening of music, art, Japanese food and drink in the lush and tranquil setting of the garden that will awaken your senses like never before!
Garden Party is the Seattle Japanese Garden’s biennial fundraiser. Proceeds support affordable public access to the garden, as well as the specialized needs of the garden, including cultural events, garden stewardship volunteer programs and community outreach.
Stay tuned for more information and mark your calendars for the Festival for the Senses!
Join us on Thursday, May 4, 6pm – 7:00pm in the Tateuchi Community Room for a Lecture by Taka Ishii from Awohoyoh.
On July 6th, as part of our Tanabata Festival and Free First Thursday, Takayuki Ishii from Awonoyoh will give a lecture about plants for Japanese Indigo, his Aizome works, his studio in Japan, and the town where he lives, farms, and produces his Aizome art.
Admission is free all day on July 6th for our Free First Thursday. Come meet the artist and stay for the slide show! Stay tuned for more details.
Join us for the annual Japanese star festival! Tanabata 七夕 at the garden is a family-friendly event that we celebrate with magnificent colors, craft making, and a tradition of writing wishes. This year, we’re celebrating for 3 days!
Indigo dye is one of the oldest dyeing methods in the world. It was used not only in ancient India, Egypt, and China but also in Central and South America and Africa. In Japan, indigo dyeing is known as Aizome. Its history goes all the way back to 8th century. The oldest Aizome cloth is still kept in Shosoin in Nara prefecture. From working clothes to formal attairs, Aizome dyeing has started being used widely in the Edo period (1603-1867). Aizome dye was highly regarded for its antibacterial and insect-repellent properties addition to its beautiful deep blue hue.
The British chemist Robert William Atkinson, who came to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period(1868〜1912), admired the indigo blue seen here and there in the town and called it "Japan Blue".
Takayuki Ishii from Awonoyoh will present his Indigo dye fabric collection at our Tateuchi community room from July 4th through July 30th.
After an unusually cold winter and early spring, koi at the Seattle Japanese Garden are looking forward to our friendly visitors (and a feast)!
Koi at the Seattle Japanese Garden are awake from their winter hibernation and ready to eat. For our May Family Saturday on May 20th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we’ll have free koi food, a koi presentation and Q & A by the Washington Koi & Water Garden Society, and a Taiko Drum Performance by Kaze Taiko (starting at noon), a vegetable Stamp art and crafts at the Tateuchi community room.
FREE admission to all youth 12 and younger from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Family Saturday.
In partnership with Youth in Focus, the Seattle Japanese Garden is pleased to host our first youth photography workshops in the garden. Young photographers (from grades 8 through 12), come and learn about the Japanese stroll garden, tea ceremony, and create inspiring images for our community.
In partnership with Youth in Focus, the Seattle Japanese Garden is pleased to host our second youth photography workshops in the garden. Young photographers (from grades 8 through 12), come and learn about the Japanese stroll garden, tea ceremony, and create inspiring images for our community.
Norimi Kusanagi, a Bainbridge Island resident creates art by arranging the pressed leaves and flower petals to reflect nature’s simple elegance. This technique is called ‘Oshi (press) bana (flower)’ in Japan.
Join us on Thursday, May 4, 5pm – 6:30pm in the Tateuchi Community Room for a demonstration and a hands-on experience with Norimi. Norimi’s original artwork as well as her pressed flower greeting cards and posters will be sold during the event.
Entry to the garden is FREE from 1pm to closing for Free First Thursday. Light refreshments provided.
(Photo: Yoshito Hori)
Join us for the opening reception for “Jaku (寂)” by Shogo Ota!
“Jaku (寂)” highlights all the living organisms and creatures that quietly coexist within the Japanese Garden. Despite Ota’s work often being on the opposite side of ‘quiet,’ the collection reflects on Ota’s desire, as a Japanese artist, to live and create quaintly beyond time and place.
Admission is free all day on April 6th for our Free First Thursday. Meet the artist from 4pm - 5:45pm during the opening reception and get the first look at this intriguing exhibit. “Jaku (寂)” will be on display in the Tateuchi Community Room till the end of June.
Entry to the garden will be free all day on April 6th for Free First Thursday. Final entry to the garden is 45 minutes before closing at 5:15pm.
“Jaku (寂)” highlights all the living organisms and creatures that quietly coexist within the Japanese Garden. Despite Ota’s work often being on the opposite side of ‘quiet,’ the collection reflects on Ota’s desire, as a Japanese artist, to live and create quaintly beyond time and place.
Admission is free all day on April 6th for our Free First Thursday. Meet the artist from 4pm - 5:45pm during the opening reception and get the first look at this intriguing exhibit. “Jaku (寂)” will be on display in the Tateuchi Community Room till the end of June.
Admission is free all day on April 6th for our Free First Thursday. Meet the artist from 4pm - 6pm during the opening reception and get the first look at this intriguing exhibit. “Jaku (寂)” will be on display in the Tateuchi Community Room till the end of June.
Final entry to the garden is 45 minutes before closing.
Come celebrate the 2023 Garden opening with us on Sunday, March 5th.
Shakuhachi player Hanz Araki will bring us the sounds of spring with a performance in the Kinko-Ryu style.
Schedule
10:00am – 2:00pm Recorded Shinto Blessing (at a community room)
11:30am – 12:30pm Shakuhachi (Bamboo Flute) Performance
1:00pm and 2:00pm Guided Tours
Enjoy free admission all day for Free First Thursday! No special activities are scheduled.
Hours are 10am - 5pm.
Last entry 45 min. prior to closing at 4:15.
Free admission all day for children 12 and under, from 10am-2pm, for Family Saturday. No special activities scheduled.
(Hours are 10am - 4pm. Last entry 45 min. prior to closing at 3:15.)
Free admission all day for Free First Thursday. Hours are 10am - 4pm.
Last entry 45 min. prior to closing at 3:15.
Experience the joyful tradition of Kamishibai (paper play) at Seattle Japanese Garden!
Ta-chan, a kamishibai artist from Nagoya, Japan will be touring all through town and will be performing at the Garden on September 17th and October 8th. Bring your whole family to the Garden for this special opportunity.
Kamishibai or "paper play" is a form of Japanese street theatre and storytelling that was popular during the Depression of the 1930s and the post-war period in Japan until the advent of television.
Tatsuo “Tacchan” Kawakami Tacchan, based in Nagoya, Japan, is the winner of Japan Street Kamishibai Competition
