Tag: japan

San Diego Bonsai Club show in Balboa Park!

The San Diego Bonsai Club hosted their fall show this weekend in Balboa Park. Amazing works of living, growing art filled long tables in Casa del Prado’s Room 101.

Members of the club presented their bonsai for public viewing, and everyone was invited to learn about the unique art form from experts and make purchases of plants.

When I visit these shows, the beauty and wisdom makes an enduring impression.

What did I learn? Working with bonsai takes patience. Make a mistake–clip where you shouldn’t have–and your error isn’t fatal. Simply put your bonsai aside for a time and let it grow.

Then revisit it. You’ll find a newly grown living thing, ready again to be sculpted into a wild-seeming, aesthetically pleasing object of beauty.

That would seem to be good advice for other types of artistic creation.

Seriously frustrated with a painting or written manuscript? Put it aside, let it live for a time in your subconscious.

New perspectives and ideas will grow in your mind. Then train and prune your creation again.

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Waka poems as art at Japanese Friendship Garden.

Waka poems are a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature. A waka poem is unique in that it consists of 31 syllables.

An exhibit at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park contains examples of waka from Japan’s Heian period (794 – 1185) written in kana script. Each composition is beautiful, not merely as a poem, but as a visual work of art.

The exhibition is titled Love Letters from the Heian Period — Emotions in 31 Syllables.

A sign in the garden’s Exhibit Hall explains: “Among the aristocracy of the time, romantic relationships often began through the exchange of waka… Since men and women had limited opportunities to meet in person, emotions were conveyed through poetry…”

Learn more about this exhibition at the JFG website here.

I was completely unaware of this type of poetry before visiting the garden today. Spellbound, I stood before the examples on display and read translations of each Japanese poem.

The English translations do not contain 31 syllables, obviously, but they definitely convey feelings indicative of romance. I noticed these wakas often employ metaphors taken from nature.

Here are a few of the translations:

There are many villages where the cuckoo bird sings. It’s a bird that I find attractive, but I don’t feel close to it. I like it, but it’s not mine, so I feel a bit jealous. Poet: The Tales of Ise

I won’t allow you to meet me, even if you imitate the crow of a rooster before dawn. Poet: Sei Shōnagon

I was dying to see you, but after I met you I want to live forever. Poet: Fujiwara no Yoshitaka

Should my heart waver and betray our love, then even the impassable waves of a tsunami would cross over the mountains. In other words, I would never be unfaithful. Poet: Author unknown.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Demon Slayer Corps returns to San Diego!

The immensely popular Demon Slayer manga and anime is returning to San Diego for Comic-Con 2025, and there’s evidence of it already, weeks in advance.

Not only are many San Diego trolley cars wrapped with cool graphics promoting the upcoming movie Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, but now advertisements for SEGA’s video game Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 have appeared up and down Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter!

Seeing how popular all things Demon Slayer are, I thought it would be fun to share some cosplay photographs from past Comic-Cons. A cool car, too!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Exhibition of Japanese ink painting in Balboa Park!

In San Diego? Would you like to watch skilled artists create Japanese ink paintings? Would you like to learn this traditional Japanese art?

Head over to Balboa Park tomorrow, Sunday, June 22, 2025, when the 22nd Annual Art Exhibition by Friends of Sumi-e resumes in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado!

I swung by today. I love the simple elegance of this unique art form, and whenever I see there’s an exhibition of Japanese brush painting (called sumi-e or suiboku-ga) in Balboa Park, I can’t miss it.

The participating members of Friends of Sumi-e are always delighted to demonstrate their craft. Today Gaye Lingley showed me how to create an orchid. Here she is, near some of her exhibited artwork:

And here she is creating the orchid. She told me learning Japanese ink painting is never ending. I thought: isn’t that true of any art form?

The orchid is finished. A few strokes of the brush have created depth and subtlety:

Meanwhile, instructor Naoko Ozaki was holding a demonstration across the room….

You can see how, six years ago, Naoko created an incredibly beautiful flower here.

Interested in Japanese brush painting? Want to learn how to do it? Check out the Friends of Sumi-e website here!

Some of the beautiful work on display this weekend:

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Gachiakuta trolley appears for Comic-Con 2025!

Another new trolley wrap has appeared for San Diego Comic-Con 2025! This one promotes Gachiakuta, a Japanese anime television series that will premiere on Crunchyroll on July 6.

Here’s a trailer for Gachiakuta.

Back in 2022 during Comic-Con, Crunchyroll wrapped San Diego city buses with all sorts of cool graphics from their shows. You can find those photos here!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Taiko community comes together in Balboa Park!

Taiko groups from all around San Diego (and beyond!) came together in Balboa Park today for an epic taiko community performance and jam session! It was incredible!

Taiko is high-energy drumming, Japanese style, where drummers together shake the world all around with booming uninhibited joy!

The event was called Taiko 4.0. It celebrated the 40th birthday of Diana, founder of Naruwan Taiko.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to experience a number of Naruwan Taiko performances, but today was something extraordinary. Dozens of members were joined by taiko drummers from groups (I hope I’m not missing anyone) San Diego Taiko, Buddhist Temple of San Diego Taiko, Asayake Taiko (UC San Diego students), Makoto Taiko from Pasadena, and even Rocky Mountain Taiko from Utah!

I counted about 50 taiko drums, many of them quite large. Now imagine the thunder!

The House of China of Balboa Park’s International Cottages helped to make this epic event possible. As the joyful, rhythmic drumming began, people from around the park heard and converged. By the time I departed mid-afternoon, a good crowd had gathered.

I hope my still photographs of this amazing event transmit the absolute joy. Taiko, like nothing else, can make one feel fully alive.

Before the start, getting ready…

Here’s Diana!

A group photo!

An introduction…

Drummers take their places…

Here we go!

Between pieces of music, the drums would be carefully lifted and reconfigured…

Here we go again!

A dancing percussive procession surprise!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Spring exhibition of ikebana in San Diego!

Another perfect Sunday in San Diego. Another amazing ikebana Japanese flower arrangement show in Balboa Park!

The 57th Annual Spring Exhibition “Nature in Balance” by Ikebana International San Diego Chapter #119 was held this weekend in Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado. Even though I’ve been to many of these shows, I couldn’t resist walking into Room 101 to experience exquisite beauty that never grows old.

I’ve said it before. Every single ikebana flower arrangement is a visual poem.

If you didn’t make the show this year, go to the organization’s website and see what free exhibitions are coming up. Or become a member!

Here are a few photos…

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Cherry blossoms bloom around Japanese Friendship Bell!

The Japanese cherry trees are in bloom on San Diego’s Shelter Island around the Japanese Friendship Bell!

Beautiful pink cherry blossoms now surround the traditional bronze bell, forged in Japan and given to San Diego in 1958 by its Sister City Yokohama.

The Sakura Grove (sakura in Japanese means a flowering cherry tree) was planted during the Japan-U.S. Nationwide Centennial Cherry Blossom Tree Planting in 2012. A nearby plaque explains the grove is a living symbol of friendship between the people of Japan and San Diego.

In 2022, I experienced the sublime ringing of the almost two and a half ton Japanese Friendship Bell. That doesn’t happen very often. If you’d like to read about the bell ringing and see those photographs, click here.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

CleanUp Kitsune leads Balboa Park clean up!

Lila and Corey Cleary-Stoner led a clean up event in Balboa Park yesterday. They and a group of caring volunteers walked around the park, removing litter from San Diego’s beautiful crown jewel, making it shine.

What was unique about this clean up? Lila and Corey combine litter removal with performance art. To attract interest from those nearby, they wear full Japanese costume and call their performance Cleanup Kitsune.

The two got the idea for Cleanup Kitsune from their attending Renaissance Fairs in costume. Both are Japanophiles. In Japan, they explained as I watched them sort collected trash, people are very careful about keeping their world clean and healthy. Why not inject some of that ethos here in San Diego?

According to the All Goods website: Since their launch in June 2023, CleanUp Kitsune has removed and sorted approximately 45,000 pieces/280lbs of litter & through their waste organization stations have diverted over 2000 pounds of waste from landfills. CleanUp Kitsune is also the recipient of the 2024 Enhancing Ecosystems sPARK award by Forever Balboa Park.

I spent much of Saturday morning wandering around Balboa Park, meaning to find Lila and Corey doing their thing in costume. I failed!

But I did find both speaking to the CleanUp Kitsune volunteers at the conclusion of the day’s effort. We all learned what sorts of trash can be recycled. Then the sorting began!

Thank you all for “littering kindness!”

This is what I missed:

I did discover volunteers picking up litter…

Forever Balboa Park and some friendly superheroes joined the effort!

Look at all the trash they collected! That’s Lila and Corey speaking to the assembled volunteers…

UPDATE!

Lila and Corey have told me that with nearly 40 volunteers they collected a total of 110.51 pounds of trash in Balboa Park. They diverted 49.55 pounds of trash from the landfill by separating waste into the following categories:

Landfill: 60.96 lbs
Recycle: 35.58 lbs
Compost: 4.14 lbs
Textile: 8.32 lbs
Hazardous: .60 lbs
E-Waste: .66 lbs
Cigarette Butts: .25 lbs

Awesome!

Here’s a photo of the two in costume!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

San Diego Yosakoi perform in Balboa Park!

San Diego Yosakoi performed today in Balboa Park! They would dance at noon at the Exchange Pavilion in the Plaza de Panama, part of a fun Japanese cultural event.

I spied members of the group in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion earlier in the day. They were rehearsing for the big performance.

Then I and many others enjoyed their show at the World Design Capital Exchange Pavilion. Afterward, the dancers would teach those in the audience how to dance!

Being a bit ignorant, I asked Google what Yosakoi is, and I learned it’s a high-energy, energetic Japanese dance style that combines traditional Japanese dance with modern music and choreography. It’s often performed by large teams at festivals and events throughout Japan.

San Diego Yosakoi formed this year. Visit their Instagram page here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.