Koyo Matsuri To Stay

Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre Manager Shane Budge says the Koyo Matsuri festival will be here to stay, after the inaugural event was held last Tuesday and Wednesday.

The festival, of which the name translates to ‘Autumn Festival’, was organised this year to celebrate Japanese national holidays ‘Greenery Day’, on May 4, and ‘Children’s Day’, on May 5.

Around 250 local school students from Cowra Public School, Mulyan Public School and Cowra High School were involved in a series of Japanese cultural workshops across the two days.

The Japanese Ambassador and Consul General also attended and took part in an official ceremony with Cowra Mayor Bill West.

Mr Budge said the event was a huge success and would now be run every year.

“We had great feedback on the event, including from the schools that took part, and it will be added to our list of annual events,” he said.

Japanese Ambassador Mr Shingo Yamagami was equally impressed with the event. “This new festival will wonderfully complement its sister event, the Sakura Matsuri, which I very much look forward to attend-ing later this year. The Koyo Matsuri marks a new chapter for the Cowra Japanese Garden and Cultural Centre,” he said.

The cultural room boasted a delicate display of Ikebana flower arrangements, collection pieces and small scale models of an intricately built bath house and temple. Kuniko Nakano from the Ohara School of Ikebana was thrilled to be in Cowra.

“I’m very pleased to be here, we really like Cowra, and we love to be able to bring our 100 year old innovations here,” they said. Year 3-4 Burri were just one local school class that took part in the fun-filled Origami workshop with Yoshiko Ito and her son Takuya Ito, making their own creations and learning as they worked.

The next official event at the Japanese Garden will be Sakura Matsuri on September 25.

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