COVER STORY: 48th annual Cherry Blossom Festival releases new locations and activities for 2022

WE’RE BACK!

It’s the 48th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival!

Saturday, June 25, 11am to 6pm Sunday, June 26, 11am to 4pm

By: Stacey Shigaya

Free Admission | Open to the Public Location: Sakura Square, Downtown Denver, Larimer and 19th Streets

Photos by:

Dillon Hinchliffe

CHERRYBLOSSOMDENVER.ORG

There are a lot of uncertainties in the world today, but one thing you can count on is that the 48th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival is back and ready to celebrate Japanese and Japanese American culture with everyone!

Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple (DBT) and Sakura Foundation, proud co-presenters of the festival, are elated to be back after a twoyear hiatus due to the pandemic. As the largest fundraiser for both organizations, the festival will be blooming with culture, food, entertainment, and shopping. Here’s a sneak peek of the NEW elements:

NEW Larimer Street Marketplace Location: Due to construction in the area, the Marketplace has a new location! Larimer Street between 19th and 20th Streets will be brimming with Japanese-themed products from a variety of vendors. You’ll find colorful clothing, tote bags, jewelry, plants, incense, anime figures, Japanese artwork, and much more! Included are eight brand new vendors, a sushi food truck, and the delectable Temple-run food booth! 9Health: 365 will host a COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic in the Marketplace where you can get a free vaccine or booster, and the National Park Service inform festival goers about their project to archive historic Sakura Square.

NEW Spot for Beer and Sake: Thirst-quenching Asahi beer and Jagged Mountain Brewery’s craft beer will be back and conveniently located in the Larimer Street Marketplace near the food booths. Other beverages available are limited-edition Cherry Blossom La Croix sparkling water, assorted pop, and bottled water. The popular sake booth from JFC International (Japanese rice wine) has also moved to the Marketplace.

NEW Dining Locations: Once you have your scrumptious food in hand, there are three areas to sit and dine – in the Live Stage area, in the open plaza facing 19th Street, and under the Temple using the 20th Street alley entrance (in the cool shade).

The Temple gym will be open to purchase food, beverages, beer, and festival-branded tote bags but will not be open for seating. Temple-prepared food can also be purchased in the Marketplace and in front of the Temple on Lawrence Street.

Temple food, beer, and beverage booths will accept credit cards. There will also be two ATMs available on-site.

Many beloved favorite elements will be back!

The Live Stage will be dazzling audiences again with dancing, music, martial arts demonstration and the popular exhilarating beats of taiko drums from Denver Taiko, One World Taiko, Mirai Daiko, and Taiko with Toni!

It’s not a festival without the tasty Japanese food prepared by the talented and dedicated Temple volunteers! Mouth-watering grilled

teriyaki chicken, beef bowls, SPAM musubi, gyoza, inari sushi, edamame (salted soybeans), and manju and mochi desserts will be waiting for you! The Sakura Foundation Booth will also be a great place for you to learn more about our new membership program! Among the many benefits are member-only invitations to gatherings (The first event will be on July 26 at History Colorado!) and fun volunteer opportunities, advance notice and special discount pricing to upcoming events, and charter membership status for those who join before Dec. 31, 2022.

But the most important benefit of a Sakura Foundation membership is knowing you are supporting the Foundation’s mission to celebrate Japanese and Japanese American heritage and culture, and are making a positive impact on the community! Individual memberships are $25 per year, household memberships are $40 per year. Members will receive a $10 discount on one Fukubukuro bag!

The Cherry Blossom Festival has been the largest outdoor Japanese/ Japanese American festival in the region for the past 50 years. Its longevity is attributed to the loyal volunteers, festival partners, sponsors and attendees.

We welcome everyone back to the Cherry Blossom Festival for a lively weekend of culture and community!

See the 2022 festival map for the new locations for the marketplace, beer and sake, and dining!

It’s Your “Lucky” Day!

Last year, we introduced Fukubukuro or “Lucky” Bags since we could not hold an in-person festival. In Japan, these bags are a New Year’s custom and are very popular with patrons who buy them up quickly.

Fukubukuro bags ($45 each) will contain a festival-branded bandana, a dining coupon to Sushi-Rama restaurants, and a greeting card featuring our 2022 festival artwork by Michelle Jing Chan.

The unknown or “lucky” items could be any of the following: insulated wine tumblers, masu (traditional wooden sake cups), tickets to Denver Botanic Gardens, silver turtle necklace, handcrafted greeting card sets, traditional Japanese decorations, desk top Japanese garden set, and more! In keeping with our sustainability efforts, some lucky bags will contain one-of-a-kind tote bags crafted from recycled 2019 Cherry Blossom Festival banners! Fukubukuro bags can be ordered in advance at Cherry BlossomDenver.org or purchased at the Sakura Foundation booth in the Larimer Marketplace.

Festival Artwork by Artist:

Michelle Jing Chan @michellieart

I am a queer Chinese-American artist and children’s book illustrator. Born and raised in Colorado, I now live in the Pacific Northwest, where I work on picture books and covers for middle grade/young adult novels. My debut book will be released in 2023 (by author Amanda Davis, published by WorthyKids/Hachette).

As an adult, I am fiercely proud of being Asian, but for most of childhood, I felt ashamed of my culture. As one of the only Asian students at school, other kids bullied me for my eyes, my lunches, and my family members’ accents. It wasn’t until college when I moved to a new city and met other Asian American students that I learned to be proud of my culture and of who I am.

Today, I feel lucky to illustrate stories that play a part in shaping how young people view the world. My Asian American identity influences all my art. I am a lifelong lover of fantasy and often draw inspiration from Chinese mythology. As a child of immigrants, I also illustrate themes related to the diasporic experience and navigating cultural identity. Being Asian has also made me passionate about incidental representation: stories with characters who have historically been part of marginalized groups but that celebrate the characters’ joy instead of focusing on their trauma.