The Standard

Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Amanda Conner

The 12th annual Japanese Fall Festival, hosted by the Springfield Sister Cities Association, will be held Friday through Sunday at the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden at Nathanael Greene Memorial Park located at 2400 S. Scenic Ave.

The festival will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the celebration will commence at 11 a.m. For an entrance fee of $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12, guests will be entertained by local artists and visiting performers from Isesaki, Japan.

A kid's parade will mark the beginning of the event, followed by the opening ceremony. The visiting group "nawa Nakai" will showcase the traditional form of martial arts "iaido" using swords. Other group members will participate in an authentic Japanese drumming presentation called "taiko."

The festival's highlights will consist of discussions on early Japanese archeology, tea ceremonies at the lake-side tea house, candlelight walks at the Japanese stroll garden, kimono demonstrations, authentic Japanese souvenirs, local artisans, traditional Japanese crafts, Koi fish and childrens activities. Booth vendors will have various items of interest for the whole family.

The festival is open to the general public.

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