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Yokohama Sakura & Geisha Cruising
In Japan, there is a tradition of enjoying unique seasonal sights and sounds: cherry blossoms in spring, fireworks and cicadas in summer, colored leaves and the harvest moon in autumn, and snow in winter.
On this special tour, you will ride a traditional yakatabune boat with Yokohama Geisha to enjoy Yokohama’s spring pastime of viewing cherry blossoms at night.
The Ōoka River is one of the most popular cherry blossom viewing spots in Yokohama, and is the perfect place for a cruise. In addition to the trees in full bloom, you can enjoy petals floating on the water’s surface and dancing in the wind like a snowstorm.
The cherry blossoms are not the only riverside sight. The nighttime view of the modern port city of Yokohama is bound to impress with its giant Ferris wheel, Marine Tower, Yokohama Landmark Tower, and other Minato Mirai waterfront structures.
The cruise will serve a unique blend of Japanese and Western cuisine that is befitting of Japan's first modern international trading port. The fresh seafood is sourced from Yokohama and other nearby fishing ports. Local alcoholic beverages such as Yokohama beer and wine will also be served.
Since the opening of Yokohama’s port, the Yokohama Geisha have served foreign guests and developed skills in foreign languages, Western dinner etiquette, and playing Western instruments such as flute and piano. They respect traditional culture but are not bound by it, thereby offering a unique blend of stylish Japanese and Western hospitality in this dinner party on a yakatabune boat. -
UBE Biennale: Sculpting a legacy of art and community
Finally, Ube in Yamaguchi Prefecture has the honor of being the first city in Japan to hold a large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibition. Started in 1961 as a citizen-led project to beautify the town with greenery and public art, the Ube City Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition has been held every two years since and eventually evolved into the UBE Biennale. The city has amassed a collection of roughly 400 pieces, which remain on display in Ube’s plazas, public facilities and airport.
Perhaps the most scenic location of all is lakeside Tokiwa Park, where several of the largest and most noteworthy installations are on permanent display. This is also the customary viewing venue for new award-winning sculptures. With the festival’s upcoming 30th iteration scheduled for October 27 to December 22, 2024, visitors taking a stroll around Tokiwa then won’t just be going for a walk in the park, but a walk through 60-plus years of contemporary sculpture on vibrant display. -
Forest Festival of the Arts Okayama: Celebrating northern Okayama Prefecture’s bountiful nature through art
Okayama’s most famous attractions, like Okayama Castle and the canals of Kurashiki, are in the southern part of the prefecture. Head north into the mountains, though, and you’ll be ensconced in beautiful mountain woodlands, where the Forest Festival of the Arts will take place from September 28 to November 24, 2024. Through its featured exhibits, this festival shines a light on forests and Japanese nature as a source of inspiration for community engagement. This cooperative nature of the festival aspires to create a “new form of capital” that enrichens the local area.
A wide genre of domestic and international creators that include artists, musicians, dancers, architects, designers, flower artists, chefs and more will showcase their work at the festival, which will be spread across a dozen venues in the towns of Tsuyama, Nagi, Niimi, Maniwa and Kagamino in the Chugoku Mountains of Western Japan. These installations will transform and further enhance the already stunning locales, including Tsuyama’s historic Joto district, Niimi’s Makido Cave and Kagamino’s Okutsu river valley, famous for its vivid autumn colors. -
The Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival: Bringing art to Sado’s ports
Over the centuries, Sado Island off the northern coast of Japan’s Niigata Prefecture was a remote exile site and the location of one of Japan’s largest gold mines. These days, the beautiful bucolic community has become a hidden travel destination gem, welcoming visitors to the annual Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival.
Ryotsu Port, the primary gateway for visitors arriving by ferry, hosts the majority of the installations, but not all of them. Others can be found at historical buildings and scenic sites of the natural landscape elsewhere on the island, rewarding those who take the time to venture further into a part of Japan most tourists never see.
The Galaxy Art Festival is more than a purely visual celebration of the arts, too, as the program has included Sado’s unique folk songs and “onidaiko,” a dance and drum performance by a masked musician dressed as an oni, a ferocious demon or ogre from Japanese folklore. This “demon drumming” is a Sado tradition that dates back centuries as a means of warding off evil and giving thanks for good harvests, making it a perfect fit for the Galaxy Art Festival, whose goal is to introduce and preserve the island’s culture.