Kodomo no Hi, also called Children’s Day, is commemorated each year in Japan on May 5th to celebrate the growth and good fortune of children. Portland Japanese Garden will hold its celebration on May 7th. The festival will feature a range of family-friendly activities. Come listen to taiko performances, learn how to make origami koi, or frogs, participate in a treasure hunt, and enjoy displays of koinobori, or cloth carp streamers.
Koi symbolize courage and determination as they swim upstream and through powerful waterfalls. In Japan, koinobori, or cloth carp streamers,flown outside of homes and public buildings create a festive atmosphere. Portland Japanese Garden’s koinobori will be on display in the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation Courtyard and Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center.
Visitors will have many ways to learn about Portland Japanese Garden’s beloved koi fish during the festival. Experts Linda Montgomery and Danielle Cheney will be at the Festival all day giving talks about koi, and answer your questions about them at the Zig-Zag Bridge next to the Heavenly Falls in the Strolling Pond Garden. Montgomery and Cheney also feature in our new video, Curious About Koi, which will debut on Children’s Day in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner.
To plan your visit, please see the program below.
10:30 am – 3:30 pm: Origami workshop taught by Yuki Martin in the Yanai Classroom. Click here for Origami Koi instructions, and click here for origimi frog instructions.
10:45 – 11:15 am & 11:45 am – 12:15 pm: Taiko performance by En Taiko in the Pavilion East Veranda.
10:30 am – 12:30 pm: Ask a koi expert, located by the Zig-Zag Bridge next to Heavenly Falls in the Strolling Pond Garden.
10:30 am – 1:00 pm & 1:45 – 2:45 pm: Curious about Koi viewings in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner
1:15 – 1:45 pm & 2:45 – 3:15 pm: Meet the Koi Experts, Linda Montgomery and Danielle Cheney. View the Curious about Koi video where Montgomery and Cheney answer questions from local school children. After the showing, visitors will be invited to ask their own questions.
10:30 am – 3:30 pm: Treasure Hunt! Self-guided treasure hunt maps can be picked up in the Tateuchi Courtyard. This activity goes through various garden locations. Don’t forget to collect a prize before leaving – they will be available to pick up near the entrance stairs in the Tateuchi Courtyard.
All Day: Koinobori Display in the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner and Tateuchi Courtyard.
Thank you to the Juan Young Trust
