A Japanese Festival takes place Labor Day Weekend at the Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. September 1 and 2, 2018, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. September 3, 2018. Tickets are available online.

There’s all sorts of entertainment scheduled, but here’s what caught your Road Trips Gardener’s attention. The private Teahouse Island of the Japanese Garden will be open for guided public tours.

Here’s how they describe it: “Across a narrow cove and dobashi, or earthen bridge, is Teahouse Island. At the end of the bridge stands a snow-viewing lantern, yukimi-doro, a gift from St. Louis’s sister city of Suwa, Japan. The teahouse itself, a gift from Missouri’s sister state of Nagano, Japan, is sacred in Japanese culture. This soan, or ‘farm hut’ style teahouse, was built in Japan, reassembled here by Japanese craftsmen, and dedicated with a Shinto ceremony in 1977. The teahouse is screened by hedges to create a sense of remoteness.” There’s an extra charge, and space is limited.

Offered at no extra charge (beyond the admission fees to the garden) are Japanese Garden Guided Walking Tours. They begin every half-hour near the boat-shaped basin at the north entrance to the Japanese Garden, and are scheduled every day of the festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Also at no additional charge are the self-guided candlelight walks that take place from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. September 1 and 2, with the illumination by shoji lanterns.

On the schedule are bonsai and ikebana demonstrations, taiko drums, cooking and martial arts demonstrations, bon odori dancing, origami, raku pottery, storytellers, a kimono fashion show, and an anime movie.

Featured performers are the Chindon Japan All-Stars, a team of five professional chindon performers. Chindon-ya
is a type of elaborately costumed performer in Japan who marches along the streets to advertise shops or other establishments. They use voices, musical instruments such as drums or trumpets, and performances of famous plays or movies to catch the attention of people. The words chin and don symbolize the Japanese sound to describe the instruments.

There will be a marketplace, a whole lot of food vendors, floral displays, and a calligraphy exhibit. You can download a festival map and schedule here.

(Photos courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden)