Come join us for the Garden’s O-Shogatsu celebration!

O-Shogatsu is a time of celebration for the start of a new year and hopes of happiness and prosperity to come.

At Portland Japanese Garden, we are celebrating Japan’s most important holiday throughout the beginning of January with special events, demonstrations, and performances all culminating in the return of our beloved and free (with daily admission) celebration on January 12.

The Garden will celebrate the beginning of 2025, the Year of the Snake, or hebi in Japanese, from 10:00am to 2:30pm with family-friendly activities and performances. Guests can also admire kadomatsu, or traditional arrangements of pine, bamboo, and plum branches, made by our gardeners.

Schedule:

Many programs will be taking place at various times and locations around the Garden. Please see the program below for an overview:

9:30 AM-10:00 AM (Exclusive to Members): Sumi-e, Japanese ink-wash painting (Yanai Classroom)

10:00 AM – 2:30 PM: Sumi-e, Japanese ink-wash painting in the Yanai Classroom. Beginning at 10am, the public is welcome to join our members to honor the year of the snake through ink-wash painting. (Yanai Classroom)

10:30 AM and 1:00 PM: Edo Kotobuki Jishi, the celebratory traditional lion dance of Tokyo, performed by Portland Shishimai Kai (Miller Living Room)

Throughout Japan, shishimai has been used for hundreds of years to bring good luck and chase away evil spirits. During this performance, the shishi (lion) will go into the audience and gently bite people’s heads to offer good luck for the rest of the year. It is common in Japan to see audiences waving bills of money to attract the shishi to come in their direction. Shishimai is typically performed during New Year’s celebrations, weddings, company functions, parties, and other festive occasions

11:30 AM: Performance of Ryomen Odori (double-masked dance) (Miller Living Room)

Ryomen Odori is the traditional double-mask dance. It features two cheerful characters portrayed by one dancer. The female mask is called Okame, a famous Japanese character with a round face, small nose, and puffy cheeks. The male mask is called Warai, meaning laughter, and provides a comedic element to the performance.

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