Japanese culture returns to Alfarnate at the 5th Sakura Festival on April 19

Japanese culture will once again take center stage in Alfarnate, which will celebrate the Sakura festival next Sunday, April 19. It was initially scheduled for April 12, but due to the weather forecast, it has been postponed by a week, as setting up the event requires several days of preparation and installation, and the expected rain makes it impossible to complete it.

To enjoy this day, they will again be dressed in a Japanese atmosphere and activities. A workshop on the tea ceremony, show cooking, bonsai and Japanese ceramic exhibitions are some of the activities that can be enjoyed during the day. There will also be Bon Odori dance, parades, a craft market, Japanese gastronomy, and concerts of shamisen and koto (Japanese harp), as well as songs by Naemi Ueta.

Additionally, five paper flower arches that emulate the sakura, the cherry blossom, an idyllic feature in all Japanese regions, will also be installed. These have been made by the locals with over 100,000 flowers for this fifth edition of the festival.

More Activities

The program is complemented with Shodo (Japanese calligraphy), exhibitions of Shorinji Kempo, iaido (Japanese katana), kyudo (archery), kenjutsu, kendo, samurai cap games, kompira fune fune, magic with Japanese cards, pai pai workshops, origami, tattoos, kitsune masks, and a virtual reality turner with prizes.

Alfarnate, a municipality located in the Alta Axarquia, next to the Sierra Norte de Málaga, is known for its cherry cultivation, whose flower is a national symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun. This was the connection that united both cultures and led the Japanese ambassador in Spain to personally visit it during the last edition, an initiative created by the strategy company Kapikúa.