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The history of San Jose's Japantown or the beauty of Hakone Gardens in Saratoga could each be cause in itself for celebration, but every spring, each place hosts a festival that gives South Bay denizens even more ways to enjoy these two special spots. In May, both locations will present their own unique Matsuri festivals, community celebrations inspired by seasonal festivals in Japan.
The Nikkei Matsuri Festival takes place May 2 in San Jose's Japantown, near the downtown area. The festival has an emphasis on Japanese-American (Nikkei) culture and will include vendors of Japanese specialties and crafts from throughout California and from as far away as Hawaii. Guests can take in displays and exhibits of art forms like ikebana, bonsai and calligraphy, or they can shop for handmade items, gifts and clothing. Children can get in on the act with a crafts and activities area.
A vast array of Japanese food should please palates with tastes for both traditional and not-so-traditional fare.
The Nikkei Matsuri festival, now in its 27th year, was started to celebrate both Japanese-American culture and San Jose's Japantown. The community is one of only three surviving Japantowns in the United States (the other two are in San Francisco and Los Angeles).
Hakone Gardens also has some impressive history to celebrate as the oldest Japanese residential gardens in the Western Hemisphere. The gardens, founded in 1915 by a San Francisco matron, were designed to re-create a 17th-century Japanese garden estate.
Hakone Gardens' fifth annual Matsuri festival, on May 23, offers Japanese foods, cultural exhibits, a bazaar, a silent auction and children's games and activities. Festival-goers can also take the opportunity to explore the lush trails and tranquil koi ponds of the gardens.
Hakone Gardens' Matsuri festival coincides with the Hakone Foundation's observance of the 150th anniversary of the signing of a treaty of peace and friendship between the United States and Japan.
The Nikkei Matsuri Festival takes place May 2, 9:30 a.m.4 p.m., in San Jose Japantown, Jackson Street between Fourth and Sixth streets, San Jose. Admission is free. 408.241.0900 or www.nikkeimatsuri.org.
Hakone Gardens holds a Matsuri Festival on May 23, 11 a.m.5 p.m. at 21000 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Admission is free. 408.741.4994 or www.hakone.com.
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