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Cherry Blossom Festival
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43rd Annual Cherry Blossom Festival Raffle Winners

Prize Winner City
 Grand Prize:       2010 Toyota Corolla S
 Satoko Tyrus
 El Cerrito
 1st Prize:   Two Round Trip Tickets to Japan (JAL)  Elaine H Takeuchi  San Francisco
 2nd Prize:  Samsung 50'' Plasma TV (Best Buy)  Cliff Reeves  
 3rd Prize:   Toshiba Laptop Computer (Best Buy)  Kathy Sherman  
 4th Prize:   Sony Playstation 3 (Best Buy)  Frances Tolosa  South SF
 Mataro Doll  Naomi Wan  Sacramento
 Pearl Necklace (Negishi Jewelry)  Margie Nagae  
 Pearl Necklace (Negishi Jewelry)  Mike Harrington  San Francisco
 (2) Dining Cruise Passes (Hornblower)  Ann Wo  
 TwoSome at Eagle Vines Gift Card w/Cart  Victoria Kinman  San Francisco
 Shisedo Gift Certificate  Anne Matsuno  San Francisco
 Two Gift Certificates (Kabuki Springs & Spa)  Steve Nelson  San Francisco
 Necklace (Miseki Jewelry)  Mim Godmintz  San Francisco
 Dinner for Two Voucher (Benihana)  Haruko Nakamoto  San Francisco
 Dinner for Two Voucher (Benihana)  J Hamaguchi  
 Dinner for Two Voucher (Benihana)  Sachiko Nishida  Greenbrae, CA
 Dinner for Two Voucher (Benihana)  Pearl Kimura  San Francisco
 Dinner for Two Voucher (Benihana)  Henry Hidekawa  San Francisco
 Scented Diffuser (Kohshi) & DVD w/ Poster (VIZ Cinema)  Jimmy Hua  Mountain View
 $25 Gift Card (Nippon-Ya) & Large Lacquer Box (Daikoku by Shiki)  Bill Bechtel  Berkeley
 $25 Gift Card (Nippon-Ya) & Large Lacquer Box (Daikoku by Shiki)  Baba Family  
 SF Giants Murakami signed Bobblehead  Simon Wian  South SF
 SF Giants Tim Lincecum bobblehead  Erick Sasaki  Pittsburg, CA
 Cosmetic Bag (Shiseido) & Fish Shaped Container - (Asakichi)  Shirley Yu  San Francisco
 Cosmetic Bag (Shiseido) & Fish Shaped Container - (Asakichi)  William Otani  Patalum
 Cosmetic Bag (Shiseido) & Fish Shaped Container - (Asakichi)  Matthew Kalin  San Francisco
 Cosmetic Bag (Shiseido) & Fish Shaped Container - (Asakichi)  Nakajo  San Francisco
 Cosmetic Bag (Shiseido) & Fish Shaped Container - (Asakichi)  David Walton  
 $50 Gift Card NEW PEOPLE  Duane Ong  San Ramon
 $50 Gift Card (Seoul Garden)  Sean Barnacascel  Martinez
 $50 Gift Card (Seoul Garden)  Peter Roschinger  San Francisco
 Bowl Set  Chikako Kinoshita  Gardena
 SF Giants tickets (2)  Kaoru Henderson  
 SF Giants tickets (2)  Shodokai Salinas  Salinas
 Plush Hello Kitty Doll (Sanrio)  Chieko Iwamoto  Petaluma
 Stationery Gift Box (Kinokunia Stationery and Gift)  Tominori Nakamura  San Francisco
 SF Giants Japanese hat  Eddy Wong  San Francisco
 SF Giants Trucker hat  Timmy Leong  San Francisco
 Japanese Bowl (Townhouse Living) & Small Lacquer Box (Daikoku by Shiki)  Jean Jay  Berkeley
 Lunch Box (Sanko Cooking Supply) & Small Lacquer Box (Daikoku by Shiki)  Akio Matsuoka  San Francisco
 Bottle of Wine & $20 Gift Certificate (Pika Pika)  Adriana Pickens  San Francisco
 Bottle of Wine & $20 Gift Certificate (Pika Pika)  Margie Nagae  Sacramento
 SF Giants 2007 All-Star Hat + Bag of Rice  Teruko Yonemura  Concord
 SF Giants Sake Set + Bag of Rice  Horikiri Isao  Daly City
 $30 Gift Certificate (May's Coffee Shop)  Yi Hiromi  San Carlos
 $30 Gift Certificate (May's Coffee Shop)  Tom Davis  San Francisco
 $30 Gift Certificate (May's Coffee Shop)  Janice Arakawa  San Francisco
 $30 Gift Certificate (May's Coffee Shop)  James Balges  San Francisco
 $30 Gift Certificate (May's Coffee Shop)  Lynda Patterson  San Francisco
 Taiko DVD (Taiko Dojo) + Bag of Rice  Norbert Hiramoto  Walnut Creek
 Taiko DVD (Taiko Dojo) + Bag of Rice  Kazukiyo Miyazono  Fremont
 SF Giants gloves + Bag of Rice  Mike Otani  San Francisco
 SF Giants Alarm Clock + Bag of Rice  Mari Aizawa  San Francisco
 Bear Shaped Speaker  C. Yuki  
 SF Giants Moises Alou Figurine + Bag of Rice  Janet Murakami  Long Beach
 Lunch for Two at Mums + Bag of Rice  Andy Kahren  San Francisco
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Wendy Wong  
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Viegas/Johnson  
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Ryan Hada  Pittsburg, CA
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Dave Spitzer  
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Hiro Tamura  San Francisco
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Paul Lee  
 $25 Gift Certificate (Hard Knox) + Bag of Rice  Evie Wethington  Redwood City
 $10 Gift Certificate (On the Bridge) & Fish Shaped Container - (Asakichi)  San Mateo Shodokai  San Mateo
 $20 Gift Certificate (On the Bridge) + Bag of Rice  Shegeo Katsuyama  San Francisco
 $20 Gift Certificate (On the Bridge) + Bag of Rice  Takayoshi  San Mateo
 $20 Gift Certificate (On the Bridge) + Bag of Rice  David May  Fallon, NV
 $15 Gift Certificate (On the Bridge) + Bag of Rice  D Kim  New York
 $15 Gift Certificate (On the Bridge) + Bag of Rice  Leonard W Kulawiec  Concord

Contact:   info@japantownparking.com to claim prize.

 

2010 Cherry Blossom Festival Schedule. Page 1 Page 2

Peace Plaza with Cherry Blossoms in bloom

The 43rd Annual Northern California's Annual Cherry Blossom Festival will take place on the weekends of April 9-11 and April 17-18 -- spotlighting traditional customs and culture that are part of the rich heritage of Japanese Americans.

The five-acre Japan Center, at Post and Buchanan Streets, and the adjacent blocks of Japantown will be filled with exquisitely costumed performers and will echo with thunderous rhythms of huge taiko drums, ethereal strains of koto music, crackling of boards being splintered by martial artists, and the gentle sounds of tea ceremonies. And, wafting through and above this cultural banquet will be the delicious aromas emanating from the Festival’s community-sponsored food bazaar. Thousands of Japanese American performers and behind-the-scenes coordinators will take part in the celebration along with scores of participants who will be coming from Japan to join in staging the exhibits, demonstrations, and entertainments. Classical and folk dancers will perform both weekends. Experts in karate, kendo (a style of fencing with bamboo swords), aikido, and judo will demonstrate their skills, and collectors of samurai swords and armor will display their treasures.

There will be exhibits and demonstrations of ikebana (flower arranging), sumi-e (brush/ink painting), calligraphy, bonsai (tree dwarfing), origami, and doll-making. Also on the agenda are an arts and crafts fair featuring works with a Japanese theme, as well as activities planned especially for youngsters. Traditional Japanese music will fill the air at recitals spotlighting koto (harp-like instruments), shakuhachi (bamboo flutes), and shamisen (similar to a three-string banjo). There will be taiko and karaoke concerts, too, plus performances by several of the Bay Area’s most popular bands, which will add a contemporary “East meets West” dimension.

A two-hour Japanese-style parade will bring the Festival to a dazzling close on Sunday afternoon, April 18. Colorfully costumed dancers and musicians by the hundreds, modern-day samurai, floats, ladies in exquisite kimonos, taiko drummers, and scores of young men and women carrying mikoshi (portable shrines) will take part in this unique procession which begins at City Hall, Polk and McAllister Streets, at 1 p.m. and winds its way along a fifteen block route to Japantown.

Reigning over the entire celebration will be the 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival queen who will be chosen at a gala on Saturday evening, April 10. Throughout the Festival, the timeless significance of cherry blossoms (sakura) will be in mind. The blossoms, which stay on the trees for only a few days before the spring breezes carry them away, evoke the unsurpassed beauty of nature and the transience of life. Everyone is invited to join in the festivities, which will be in full swing by 11 a.m. each day of the two-weekend celebration. Most events are free.

  

Photos by David Yu

 


 

 

 
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