Haru Matsuri
The annual Haru Matsuri (Spring Festival) was held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Center (JCCC) in Toronto from March 5-6, 2011.
This year’s theme was kites and there were several on display from the Kite Museum.
Near the entrance, there was a Hinamatsuri doll display.
Along the JCCC halls, many booths were setup just like the stalls you see in festivals in Japan.
A children’s area was also setup to keep the little ones occupied with coloring books, origami, kite making and other fun activities.
There were also a number of booths setup in the Kobayashi Hall.
The Kobayashi Hall stage was the setting for traditional Japanese performances, including shamisen and koto.
The world famous Yakudo taiko drummers also performed, including some of their young students.
There were many traditional Japanese dance performers by the Ayumi Kei and Sakura Kai dance groups. My wife, who is a member of both groups, performed several times throughout the weekend.
There were many young dancers who performed during the different shows.
Next festival to be held in the JCCC will be the Natsu Matsuri in the summer. See you all there!
