Cherry Blossom Festival

For 6 hours, Noon to 6 pm, the Walb Student Union and surrounding area at Purdue Fort Wayne (PFW) will be alive with Japanese arts, crafts and culture, from water games and crafts for kids to Karaoke for older folks. Activities will take place throughout Walb Student Union, the Skybridge.  the Science Mall, Friends Pavilion, and Alumni Plaza.

Six hours . so little time and so much to do!!! Come and experience a little bit of Japan! See why thousands of people visit the Cherry Blossom Festival in Fort Wayne each year.

What do you think of when you hear "Japan"? Cherry blossoms, kimono-clad ladies, exotic musical instruments, chopsticks, sushi, samurai, martial arts, tea ceremony, origami, silk, anime characters, bonsai trees.  The Fort Wayne Cherry Blossom Festival has it all! For 16 years we have introduced Japanese culture in many forms to Northeast Indiana and the surrounding states.

Do you enjoy watching Japanese folk dancing? We have it.  How about the amazing sound of the Taiko drums? We have it.  Are you interested in traditional Japanese Koto music or contemporary Classical Japanese music? We will be bringing in favorite artists from past years, and hope to offer some new talent for 2024.

At our festival, you can not only draw Anime, but dress up as your favorite Anime character for the Cosplay contest. You can try your hand at creating a Haiku poem in the Haiku contest too.

2024 Performing Artists

Toki

Toki started playing the koto at the age of three. Her mother who was a koto master, taught her how to play the instrument. She also began studying under her uncle, who was the head of the koto school at the time.  Over the years, she has performed at many concerts. She is a certified master and teacher of the koto.Additionally, Toki started playing the piano at the age of three and majored in the piano while in high school.  She will be accompanied by her son, Licht, on the flute.

Chicago Okinawa Kenjikai

We are a cultural organization that has been serving the Okinawan community for over 50 years. The Sanshin is a traditional 3-stringed instrument made from snake skin and wood. Shisa, are traditional wards, believed to protect from evil spirits. At the festival  we would like to show Okinawan drumming dance, Classic dance, and a traditional lion dance called Shishi-Mai. We hope you enjoy the show

Fort Wayne Taiko was established in 1997, a program of the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, and was the first performing taiko group in Indiana and is still one of the few in the Midwest.  Taiko is a Japanese musical tradition that means “big drum”.  Taiko’s characteristic beat is achieved through choreographed arm movements as drummers “dance” their sticks from drum to drum.

Tea Ceremony, the ritualized preparation and presentation of matcha, a powdered green tea, will be demonstrated  in Ura Senke Style.

Classical Guitarist Dr. Daniel Quinn has been an active performer for over forty years. He has performed as a soloist in numerous concerts and recitals around the United States, Canada, and Japan. Dan completed his B.M., M.M., and D.M. in classical guitar performance at the Indiana University school of music in Bloomington Indiana under Ernesto Bitetti. Daniel has also been an instructor of guitar for thirty-five years at colleges such as Indiana University - Bloomington, Huntington College, University of St. Francis, University of Indianapolis, and the Tokyo College of Music. He currently teaches at St. Mary’s and Holy Cross colleges in Notre Dame Indiana, and at Indiana University South Bend, as well as at Sweetwater in Fort Wayne. Dan is a native of Fort Wayne, raised in the Saint Johns and Bishop Luers community on the south side. He has been married for 25 years and has three adult children. 

Kendama is a popular Japanese skill toy.  Mike Tsugawa, a 3rd Dan in the Japanese Kendama Association, will demonstrate tricks and techniques. Mike has taught Japanese at Michigan City High School since 2002, and was recognized as Teacher of the year by the Indiana Foreign Language Teacher Association in 2016.

Spirit Bomb is a dynamic live musical act featuring popular Japanese anime songs with authentic Japanese vocals. The concept for the band sprang from guitarist and music producer Kevin Samuel's Youtube channel, which combines his passion for music with his love for anime. When Kevin asked Elaina Robbins, a Japanese American classical crossover singer, to collaborate on a video for the channel, Spirit Bomb was born. Spirit Bomb's fun, energetic concert performance features powerful multilingual vocals, electric guitar, synth keyboards, saxophone, drums, and bass along with visuals and engaging karaoke-style lyrics

Fort Wayne Suzuki Strings offers instruction in violin, viola, and cello to students age 3 and older.  There are many parallels between learning a language and learning to play a musical instrument.  The Suzuki Method is modeled on the process a child uses to learn to speak, conceived by Japanese violinist and teacher Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998)

Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, Chamber Singers, provides a choral program exemplifying artistic and educational excellence for children from diverse backgrounds.  Over 300 students participate in the choir, which contributes to the community’s cultural environment.  FWCC is proud to represent 88 different schools in addition to 29 home school groups from 8 north east Indiana and northwest Ohio counties.

FW Japanese Club will be performing  a Japanese folk dance-a  Soran Bushi dance. This is a fishermen’s dance and one of Bon festival dances from Hokkaido. It will be danced by 5 PFW students.

Fort Wayne Dance Collective was founded in 1979, and it is their mission to inspire and empower people of all identities, abilities, and stages of life through the movement arts. FWDC, home of Fort Wayne Taiko, brought the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY to Fort Wayne for a residency and dance performance in the Fall of 2023.  At the festival, you will be seeing a traditional folk dance called Nishimonai Bon Odori, taught to Dance Collective Company members by JFDINY.  You will also see a dance for a piece called Ei Ja Nai Ka, written by Pj Hirabayashi from San Jose taiko. It's a Bon Odori dance using movements from everyday farming and sea life, as well as mining.

Activities-Contests

Anime Drawing Contest

Location: Skybridge on the 2nd floor between Walb Student Union and Helmke Library.

Draw a favorite anime character or create original art. Prizes will be awarded for fan art and original art in several age categories (elementary school age children through adult).

Artworks must be drawn at the festival on the provided paper. No tracing or light boards, please. Seating is limited.  Drawing time will be from noon to 3:30 PM.

Winners will be announced at 5:15 PM in the International Ballroom.

Admission: Free