This Saturday take a J-Cation courtesy of Japan Society
It’s already April and the Cherry Blossoms are blooming, time take a little retreat to Japan Society for a trip to Japan without ever leaving New York. For 2012 we proudly present The Suzan as the headliner for the Yozakura Nights concert portion of the festival. Yozakura is the word for evening cherry blossoms, and in the final festival events, j-CATIONers can rock the night away to the beats of NYC-born and raised acclaimed pop-rocker Alex York, singing in Japanese and English, and New York City’s beloved riot-grrl, garage punk band from Tokyo, The Suzan, before moving to the Hana-mi Lounge to finish the evening with the mixing melodies of DJ Aki.
For more J-Cation:Sakrua details/schedule, click the jump, or visit http://www.japansociety.org/j-cation_2012
Admission: $10 / $5 Japan Society members and children under 12 / FREE children 2 and under. Tickets are available at the door day of the event only.
The 2012 installment themed around sakura—or cherry blossoms, a spring season delight in Japan— promises more: one lucky person will walk away with an actual trip to Japan.
As the concluding event in the Sakura – Spring Renews, Beauty Blooms programming series commemorating the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, DC and New York City’s Upper West Side, this year’s j-CATION: Sakura transports visitors to a cherry blossom-filled haven of workshops, crafts and mini language lessons; a classic film screening; a Japanese-style game show with a grand prize of a round trip ticket to Japan; live music concerts; DJ party; stunning design art from the exhibition Deco Japan; and a hana-mi (cherry blossom viewing) lounge with seasonally appropriate drinks and snacks for purchase.
Taking place Saturday, April 14 from 11:00 am-11:00 pm, j-CATION: Sakura kicks off with an outdoor taiko drum salute. Throughout the day, Japan Society’s 262-seat auditorium sets the stage for several feature presentations. Participants can try their luck with You’re on Standby! A Japanese Game Show, a spectacular travel quiz contest with the prize of a roundtrip ticket courtesy of United Airlines. Later j-CATIONers are transported to the vivid land of geishas, samurai and cherry blossoms in the early afternoon movie screening of Killing in Yoshiwara A.K.A. Heroes of the Red-Light District.
The evening explodes into a rocking rave with breakout artist Alex York, whose Japanese song “Change” (written for Tohoku earthquake relief efforts) received over 100,000 hits on YouTube in its first few weeks of release and continues to climb. The beloved Japanese girl band, The Suzan, whose “Come Come” was selected by an NFL Verizon TV campaign for the 2011 NFL season, returns following their debut at Japan Society’s 2011 CONCERT FOR JAPAN.
Throughout the day, master instructors teach spring-themed shodo (traditional Japanese calligraphy), cherry blossom woodblock print demonstrations, basic Japanese language lessons, and origami how-to’s. Everyone is invited to contribute pink paper blossoms with words of support for Japan to an ever blooming cherry tree near the gallery. For the youngest visitors, traditional kamishibai (picture card storytelling) delights the senses.
Whether staying all-day or just for one event, admission is $10/$5 Japan Society members and children under 12/FREE for children 2 years and under. Main stage presentations and workshops have a limited capacity and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the event only from 11:00 am-10:00 pm (no advance ticket purchase is available.) More at www.japansociety.org/j-CATION.
