It’s cherry blossom season and time to head to the Japan Festival Houston 2015 at Hermann Park. Along with Japanese food, entertainment, music, dancing and martial arts exhibitions, this year’s festival features a roll-off competition between local sushi chefs. “In the style of Iron Chef, we’re going to have some mystery ingredients in a basket and ask Houston’s best sushi chefs to compete in a roll-off,” says Justin Cooper, president of Japanese Festival of Houston, Inc. Anime, a cosplay fashion contest and groups are also on the schedule. Entertainment for children will include origami, calligraphy, Japanese painting, the Ikebana Club, tea ceremonies and face painting.
“We’re trying to make everything as authentic as we can,” says Cooper, noting vendors for Japanese kimonos, obis and bonsai trees are set to be on hand. The annual celebration of all things Japanese, the festival began some 22 years ago when construction was completed on the park’s Japanese Garden. “A small group started having a springtime festival there, which would have been about the same time of year that the cherry blossoms come in bloom,” said Cooper. “Now about 25,000 people attend.”
10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Hermann Park, 6201 Hermann Park Drive. For information, call 713-426-0878 or visit houstonjapanfest.org. Free.
Sat., April 18, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., April 19, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 2015
This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2015.
