Just so's you know, not all the J-Pop culture fun happens on the West Coast. Case in point: The annual Sakura Matsuri, which will be held this weekend, Saturday May 3 - Sunday May 4 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York City. Besides the pleasure of wandering through a shower of cherry blossom petals, festival-goers can take in a whole lot of Japanese cultural fun, including a manga drawing demonstration by Kensuke Okabayashi, the author of Manga For Dummies, a manga library, a few J-Pop bands, DJ's and "The Legend of Ninja Kotaro," a live-action show billed as a "ninja cosplay spectacle."
In past years, cosplayers have made the scene at this annual event, making for a fun mash-up of current and traditional Japanese culture. Hours are 10 am - 6 pm on both days, and it's a rain or shine event. Admission to Sakura Matsuri festivities is included with your admission fee to the gardens. See the full schedule of events and get tips and directions to plan your trip this weekend.
While you're out Brooklyn way, make sure to check out the ©Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, which is immediately adjacent to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. If you love manga and anime, you'll be tripped out by Takeshi Murakami's manga-inspired artwork. This retrospective, which had a hugely successful run in Los Angeles recently, will be at the Brooklyn Museum through July 13, 2008.
You'll recognize a lot of manga-influence in Murakami's artwork, but he takes it to a whole new surreal, mind-bending level. There's videos (including his clip for rapper Kanye West), room-sized installations and huge sculptures, plus a Louis Vuitton boutique featuring bags and accessories designed by Murakami.
But be forewarned, there's some content that might be, well... awkward for little kids to view. On the other hand, the exhibit curators have included explanations of the artwork geared for young art lovers too, so they're trying to keep it family-friendly. Just be prepared if you're on the prudish side.
© Barbara Alper, courtesy Brooklyn Botanic Garden, ©2008 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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