All programs are open for registration on August 1st of each year for the upcoming season. Each season runs from October through the summer of the next year.
DEMONSTRATION OF KYUDO: The Way of the Bow
Kyudo is the traditional Japanese practice that uses the act of shooting the Japanese bow for the cultivation of the person and the development of physical and mental wellbeing. It is now a worldwide practice that has both cultural and sporting aspects. Kyudo places greater emphasis on the beauty of form, with accuracy being seen as an expression of correct shooting rather than "hitting for hitting sake." Learn about the history of Kyudo and observe a demonstration of the Shaho Hassetsu, known as the Eight Stages of Shooting, explained by instructor Jade Fraundorfer.
Sado: Tea Ceremony Workshop
Omotesenke School
This workshop teaches the basics of sadō – The Way of Tea – necessary to understand the aesthetics of sadō and to fully enjoy the tea ceremony itself. Participants become familiar with how to participate as a guest, how to make a bowl of tea, and serve it.
Adult Workshop
The Way Of Taiko: The Heartbeat Of Japan
Traditional Drum Workshop
The workshop includes an introduction to the history of taiko. Participants are taught how to understand sounds and movements, i.e., how to connect nature and the meaning of body movement. They become familiar with the way of taiko and drumming techniques. Instruments are provided for you.
Experience the Garden Early
Member Morning Walks
Open to all Morikami Members
We are excited to announce the start of a unique program - Member Morning Walks. This is an exclusive opportunity for our valued members to experience the gardens in the calm of morning, before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. Starting June 7th, every Wednesday, you can escape into the serene beauty of our …
9:00AM, Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, May 3, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, May 10, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, May 17, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, May 24, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, May 31, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, June 7, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, June 14, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, June 21, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, June 28, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, July 5, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, July 12, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, July 19, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, July 26, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, August 9, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, August 16, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, August 23, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, August 30, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, September 6, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, September 13, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, September 20, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Morikami Gardens
9:00AM, Friday, September 27, 2024
Morikami Gardens
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities
Speaker Series: Musha Ningyō: Avatars of the Samurai Spirit
Talk by Alan Scott Pate
Japan is famous for the legacy of its samurai warriors, immortalized in art, film, and literature. In Japan, this particular world was also embodied in an extravagant doll culture, with elaborate forms created over the centuries commemorating historical warriors as well as the spirit of the samurai.
1:00PM, Friday, April 26, 2024
Morikami Theater
(Tickets available the day of the event at a first come, first served basis. Limited seating available.)
Workshop for Adults
Shibori Indigo Workshop
The use of indigo dye, or aizome, has a long and cherished history in Japan. The deep blue colors for which Japanese textiles are celebrated come from the leaves of the tade ai, a plant introduced to Japan from China in the sixth century. Shibori is a Japanese technique of manual resist dyeing used to make patterns on fabrics. Learn various shibori techniques and get a chance to make your own shibori creation.
Poetry Workshop: The Haibun Journey: A Narrative of Insight and Discovery
In this workshop, participants will learn about the traditional and contemporary use of the form, through reading of various examples, and learn various techniques for writing successful haibun.
11:00AM, Saturday, April 27, 2024
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
Ikebana Flower Arrangement
Ikebana Sogetsu Class
Wednesday Sessions
Flower arranging, ikebana, is a traditional Japanese art form spanning centuries. Ikebana has various different schools of study, each with unique philosophies and aesthetics. The Sogetsu School is a contemporary school which focuses on the creativity and individuality of ikebana. The idea is that ikebana can be done by anyone, anywhere, with almost anything. Students will learn the basics of Sogetsu and create pieces each week to take home and enjoy. Beginners and Intermediate students welcome!
10:30AM, Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Oki Education Center
10:30AM, Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Oki Education Center
Ink Painting | Beginner & Intermediate
Sumi-E Floral
Thursday & Friday Sessions
Sumi-e is a form of Japanese ink painting brought from China in the 12th century. Primarily done in black ink, the name literally means “charcoal drawing” in Japanese. Students grind their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone and learn to hold and utilize brushes to create the primary sumi-e brushstrokes. Floral and landscape classes will start with a review of the basic techniques before moving on to the main subject. Beginners welcome!
10:30AM, Thursday, May 2, 2024
Oki Education Center
10:30AM, Friday, May 3, 2024
Oki Education Center
10:30AM, Thursday, June 6, 2024
Oki Education Center
10:30AM, Friday, June 7, 2024
Oki Education Center
Sponsored by the JM Family Enterprises
Who are you? The Stories Behind the Hapa Project
Talk by Kip Fulbeck
Learn more about our latest exhibition Hapa.me, with the artist and curator, Kip Fulbeck. Fulbeck has photographed thousands of people, inviting them to define themselves in their own words and with their own handwriting. In this energetic and entertaining artist talk, Fulbeck shares some of his behind-the-scenes experiences working with these individuals -- showing some never before seen images and extrapolating how these stories reflect our contemporary world.
1:00PM, Friday, May 3, 2024
Morikami Theater
(Tickets available the day of the event at a first come, first served basis. Limited seating available.)
Ink Painting | Beginner & Intermediate
Sumi-E Landscape
Friday Sessions
Sumi-e is a form of Japanese ink painting brought from China in the 12th century. Primarily done in black ink, the name literally means “charcoal drawing” in Japanese. Students grind their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone and learn to hold and utilize brushes to create the primary sumi-e brushstrokes. Floral and landscape classes will start with a review of the basic techniques before moving on to the main subject. Beginners welcome!
1:30PM, Friday, May 3, 2024
Oki Education Center
1:30PM, Friday, June 7, 2024
Oki Education Center
Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: Children’s Day
Come join us to celebrate the Japanese holiday of Children’s Day by making a pinwheel, playing Japanese games, or making a Japanese flying carp called koinobori!
10:00AM, Sunday, May 5, 2024
Sakai Room (Library)
Tea Ceremony Class
Sado: Beginner I & II
Thursday or Sunday Sessions
Expand upon your knowledge of Japanese tea ceremony in this hands-on class. Perform traditional Japanese tea ceremony, with its ever-evolving seasonal subtleties, in the authentic Seishin-an Tea House under the guidance of instructor Yoshiko Hardick. The tea ceremony changes from month to month and from season to season.
10:15AM, Sunday, May 5, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Thursday, May 9, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Sunday, June 2, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Thursday, June 6, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Sunday, July 7, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Thursday, July 11, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Sunday, September 8, 2024
Tea House
10:15AM, Thursday, September 12, 2024
Tea House
Take a cinematic journey through Japan with the Morikami Film Series
Film: Weathering With You
Sponsored by the The Rubens Family Foundation
Weathering With You is by director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura, the creative team behind the critically-acclaimed, global smash hit Your Name. The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine. Then one day, Hodaka meets Hina on a busy street corner. This bright and strong-willed girl possesses a strange and wonderful ability: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky…
Tea Ceremony Class
Sado: Intermediate Classes
Expand upon your knowledge of Japanese tea ceremony in this hands-on class. Perform traditional Japanese tea ceremony, with its ever-evolving seasonal subtleties, in the authentic Seishin-an Tea House under the guidance of instructor Yoshiko Hardick. The tea ceremony changes from month to month and from season to season.
1:00PM, Sunday, May 5, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Thursday, May 9, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Sunday, June 2, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Thursday, June 6, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Sunday, July 7, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Thursday, July 11, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Sunday, September 8, 2024
Tea House
1:00PM, Thursday, September 12, 2024
Tea House
Ikebana Flower Arrangement
Ikebana Ikenobo Class
Tuesday Sessions
Flower arranging, ikebana, is a traditional Japanese art form spanning centuries. Ikebana has various different schools of study, each with unique philosophies and aesthetics. Dating back to the 15th century, the Ikenobo School is the oldest and most traditional. Students in this course learn the basic principles and style of Ikenobo, creating fresh flower arrangements each week to take home and enjoy. Beginners welcome!
1:00PM, Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Oki Education Center
Morikami Book Club
Open to all Morikami Members
Embark on a thrilling literary journey with Benefactor member Christine Carton and fellow Morikami members as they kick off a brand new season of riveting book explorations! To join the Morikami Book Club, please reach out to Christine Carton at christinec@gate.net. Morikami Book Club 2023-2024 Selection October 11 - Dead-end Memories Stories: By Banana Yoshimoto A collection of 5 …
12:00PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
12:00PM, Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
Japanese Traditional Tea Ceremony
The Way Of Tea: Sado Demonstration
Observe Japanese sado, an ever-changing demonstration rich in seasonal subtleties. Your involvement in the true spirit of sado — harmony (wa), reverence (kei), purity (sei), tranquility (jaku) will help you bring a calm perspective into your busy life.
12:00PM, Saturday, May 11, 2024
Morikami Theater
Craft activities for kids of all ages.
Virtual Family Fun Days
Virtual craft activities for kids of all ages.
12:00AM, Sunday, May 12, 2024
Virtual
Kirigami Mother’s Day Card
12:00AM, Saturday, August 31, 2024
Virtual
Tofu Day
Adult 2-Day Workshop
Indigo Katazome Workshop
Katazome is a Japanese resist process used for hundreds of years in Japanese textiles. Traditional artisans created a resist paste made from a rice flour mixture and applied it to cloth through the use of elaborately hand-carved stencils. Where ever this paste is applied will resist the dye, creating a pattern. Traditionally katazome is dyed with indigo to create the traditional white and blue of many Japanese textiles.
Sponsored by JM Family Enterprises
Documentary Film: Hafu: The Mixed Race Experience
Discussion led by Director Megumi Nishikura and Moderator Dr. Mitzi Carter
"HAFU" is a documentary that explores the complex experiences of mixed-race Japanese individuals in modern-day Japan. The film follows the lives of five "hafus," or people who have one Japanese parent and one non-Japanese parent, as they navigate their multicultural identities in a country that proudly proclaims to be mono-ethnic. For some hafus, Japan is the only home they know, while for others, living in Japan is an entirely new experience. Still others find themselves caught between two different worlds.
Experience the Morikami Gardens After-Hours
Sunset Stroll
Join us for an enchanting evening at our Sunset Strolls. Each evening includes exhilarating Taiko drum performances and a variety of cultural and culinary delights. Explore the beauty of our gardens at dusk, enjoy Japanese name writing, and visit the Sean Danconia Pop Surreal Art Show. This event is perfect for a romantic evening out, a family …
Kurinuki Ceramic Workshop
Kurinuki is a traditional Japanese ceramic hand building technique starting with a solid block of clay and hollowing it out to create a vessel. Create a chawan, Japanese tea bowl using this beautiful ancient technique. In this hands-on workshop, learn basic techniques to work with clay and enjoy a presentation of Japanese ceramics.
Youth Origami Workshop
Grades 3rd – 12th
Make unique pieces of art with paper! Learn how to make origami by using various techniques and simple folds.
Guest Artist Workshop:
Bamboo Basket-Making Workshop
Learn the art of bamboo basket making from a master bamboo craftsman.
Learn the art of bamboo basket making from a master bamboo craftsman, Akihiro Mashimo, from Kyoto, Japan in this hands-on workshop. Learn the history and beauty of bamboo craftsmanship, and how to apply traditional techniques combined with contemporary design to create your own sculptural bamboo basket form to take home.
10:00AM, Sunday, June 9, 2024
Oki Education Center
Bamboo Basket-Making Workshop | 10:00am – 12:00pm