The Anime Blog - We Go Beyond Anime!

It’s that time of year again folks! It’s Japanese Festival time! This year, the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis (our headquarters!) will be holding its annual Midwestern Matsuri on September 1-3, 2007.

Located in the heart of the Garden District, the Missouri Botanical Gardens (MoBot for short) is home to the largest Japanese Garden in North America. The Seiwa-en, as it’s known, was said to have been built as a thank you from Japanese refugees relocating from the West Coast during World War II.

This year, David and I will once again be participating in the Bon Odori. Hopefully, this year we won’t stand out so much as n00bs (hey, I think we’ve improved a lot!) Heaven help me if Montgomery Sensei ties my obi; at least then you’ll be able to tell who I am by the one gaijin fainting away in the corner (she ties the obi very, very tight.)

Since this is our fourth year of attending and second year participating in the Japanese Festival, we have a few pointers for folks who want to attend:

For Out-Of-Towners

• It’s hot here. I mean, hot, humid and nasty. It’s always at least a degree or two warmer since we’re in the city and those two degrees do make a difference when the temperature’s pushing 94. Please dress accordingly and bring a lot of water.
• St. Louis and the surrounding areas are undergoing massive reconstruction to most major highways. Check MoDot to see which lane closures will be affecting your commute here.
• Come early if you want a decent parking spot and to get in on time to see the opening parade and ceremonies! Better yet, buy your tickets online. Nothing sucks more than driving two hours to wait another two in line to purchase admission. Nothing. MoBot has yet to have a year when there wasn’t a gi-normous line snaking around the building. If you want to see the parade and to partake in the giant barrels of sake at the opening ceremonies, plan ahead and either get there very early or buy your tickets online.

For All

• Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. Most of the demonstrations are in open lawn areas with no seating. Don’t be afraid to be a rebel and have a comfy spot.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes. Dear lord, there’s 79 acres of this place with activities throughout, don’t be a doof and not wear good walking shoes. You’ll miss so much if you have blisters on your feet!
• Bring sunscreen and apply often! I’m not your mom but I do know that a bad sunburn will ruin your day faster than she will when she finds out you weren’t wearing any!
• Have your camera handy along with plenty of empty space and batteries. There’s so much to see; make sure you take good pictures to share with your friends and family.
• Bring cash, cash, more cash, and your credit card for back up. Most stands only accept paper money, like the food stalls, but there are a few more modern stands that’ll take plastic.
• If you want to participate in the tea ceremony, be prepared to wait in line, a long, long time. Seriously, find the ticket stand and start waiting there when you first enter the gardens. Do NOT go to opening ceremonies or you will not get tickets. These are coveted spots and I think some of these may be be reserved priorly (don’t quote me on that).
• Relax and have fun. This is a great place to relax in, I mean, it is a Japanese water garden.

Tickets

• To see a list of events, times and more, check out the Japanese Festival Schedule of Events - PDF Format
• Tickets are $10 for Adults, $7 for Seniors (65 & older) and $3 for Children (ages 3-12). Infants (0-35 months) are free
• Event hours: Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 8pm; Monday from 10am - 5pm

If you attend the Bon Odori, please come up and give David or me a shout out afterwards. I’ll be wearing a teal and navy blue yukata, and so will 20 other people. Go to the About pages and give us a gander so you can spot us. (I’ll also have morning glory pins in my hair for those with good eyes). When we’re not in our yukata, we’ll be in our spiffy The Anime Blog t-shirts, mingling with the festival goers. We’d love to meet our readers!

See you there!