Sakura Matsuri Stockholm – Cherry Blossom Festival
On April 22nd was the annual cherry blossom hanami festival in Stockholm (“Körsbärsblommans Dag”), Sweden. It’s an event organized by the Japanese Association, and we were very happy to see that they – once again – succeeded in setting the date just in time for the cherry trees to be in full bloom. As previous years, we were there to enjoy Japanese food and entertainment. Here is a video and some photos from the day.
Lots of people gathered in Kungsträdgården for a mini shows of various performances.
Sakurakören (Sakura Choir) and Yuko Matsushita (on flute) entertained the crowd with their music.
Hello Kitty was the festival’s ambassador. She walked around the stalls and let the visitors take photos with her.
There was a mixture of stalls, as there always are. Some of them were Othello the board game and Mangakai, club for manga and anime enthusiasts.
Japanese flower arrangement, ikebana, was on show with some beautiful examples of what can be achieved.
In one of the stalls you could be show how to fold origami, and in another stall you could try on a kimono.
There was a small selection of stalls offering Japanese food. The one we went for was Japanese croquette from Tokyo Soul Kitchen, it was the right choice because it was really delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Naoko Kikuchi played the Shamisen, a Japanese string instrument, for the onlooking crowd.
Nicklas Nordquist gave a short introduction to what cosplay is. After his introduction a few cosplayers showed off their costumes. Wadaiko-Maiko performed a traditional Taiko drums show for everyone.
Kenshou Kyudo Kai Kyudo club gave a demonstration in Kyudo, Japanese archery.
Previous posts about Sakura Matsuri in Stockholm:
Sakura Matsuri Stockholm 2016
Sakura Matsuri Stockholm 2015
Sakura Matsuri Stockholm 2014
Sakura Matsuri Stockholm 2013
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