Springtime Activities in Fort Worth, Texas

The Botanic Garden's Spring Japanese Festival

Feb 17, 2009

The Fort Worth Botanical Garden has a lot to offer visitors. Its Spring Japanese Festival is one of its most enjoyable highlghts, sure to entertain visitors of all ages!

A spring feature of the Botanic Gardens is the Japanese Festival, held in the Japanese garden for one weekend around April. For people coming to admire the garden, there are strikingly red Japanese maples and groves of brilliant green bamboo. A zen garden is near the entrance, where one can contemplate raked sand and deliberately placed stones. If you wish to relax water-side, there is a large pond overlooked in several places by cupolas.

The Japanese Festival Offers Something for Everyone!

The most exciting aspect of the Japanese festival is all the extra activities that are offered during this weekend. There are plenty of demonstrations and arts and crafts for viewing, and there are even “shows” in which audience participation is welcomed and encouraged. All of the above are not only fun, they also offer short but educational glimpses intoJapanese culture.

Activities for the Mature Crowd

1. The Japanese Festival always has an Ikebana booth, ikebana being the Japanese art of arranging flowers. If you’re interested but not quite sure how to go about arranging flowers, there are plenty of knowledgeable people at the booths who can help, as well as educational books.

2. In one of the cupolas resting over the pond, Japanese tea ceremonies are held at scheduled times throughout the weekend. The audience gets to participate in a ritual tea ceremony, and if you’re not sure what to do, just follow the Japanese hostess who is preparing your tea.

3. Another one of the cupolas offers 10-15 minute shiatsu massage, also at scheduled times.

Activities for the Young at Heart

1. If you make your way to the Moon Pavilion, karate and judo demonstrations are given at pre-arranged times. Martial arts action is always an exciting draw for kids. The audience can’tparticipate in this, but children always perform in these demonstrations, so it’s fun for kids to watch.

2. Anyone can get their name written in katakana, one of the three Japanese alphabets, and used specifically for foreign words. For an extra fee, animal face painting is available.

3. The pond that runs through the garden is filled with koi who are eager for snacks. It’s a quarter for each little handful of pellets, but kids love to watch the large-mouthed Japanese carp gather at the surface and suck down the food.

4. Traditional Japanese songs and dances are also part of the festival, and the bystanders, young or old, are invited to join in some of the dances.

Fun Foods and Drinks

The spring Japanese festival offers a variety of food. There are several different types of sushi, as well as edamame, and inari zushi (rice balls wrapped in sweetened tofu). Kids are sure to love Ramune, a carbonated Japanese beverage which you open by slamming a marble into the top of the drink. If you’re not a fan of Japanese food, there is also a snack stand which offers nachos and other standard American Fair food.

One More Enjoyable Activity before Leaving

Before leaving the festival, stop by the gift store. There are toys for the kids, and trinkets and cards for you to memorialize your visit. If you really enjoyed yourself and don’t want to wait a year for the next Spring Festival, be sure to pick up a flyer and ask about the Japanese Fall Festival!

The copyright of the article Springtime Activities in Fort Worth, Texas in Texas Travel is owned by Cheryl Metzger. Permission to republish Springtime Activities in Fort Worth, Texas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.