Sakura Matsuri Faire: A Big Success
Unsettled weather conditions didn’t keep shoppers away as our Betsuin kaikan (main hall) and courtyard were packed for our Sakura Matsuri Food and Shopping Faire on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
Established in 2018, Sakura Matsuri “was originally designed to showcase our members’ businesses — crafters, service providers, and commercial products/services. We also welcomed businesses in our local community, but it has expanded to vendors from throughout California and other states,” said Karen Adachi, event chair and president of the temple’s Board of Trustees.
Shoppers came out of the rain to attend the Sakura Matsuri Food and Shopping Faire. (March 23, 2024)
Sakura Matsuri also “serves as a major fundraiser for the church’s affiliated and sponsored organizations. Our organizations have participated in the food faire and also the shopping faire, with all net proceeds going to these individual participating organizations,” explained Karen.
Sakura Matsuri provided a fun shopping experience for the local community. Vendors of specialty arts and crafts included Embroidery by Lize and Simmi-Su Paper Company, who have participated in every one of the Sakura Matsuri events since its inception. Another returning vendor was June Kurano, who made hand-beaded jewelry and sold handbags and purses crafted by her friends in Hawaii. A newcomer to the event was DeLynda DeLeon Designs from Napa, who sold fabric-based jewelry and pendants.
Sakura Matsuri also featured our own “Grandma’s Attic.”
“During the COVID shutdown years, many of our members and local community friends were cleaning out their storage rooms, closets, and attics, and donated really nice gently used and new Japanese dolls, dishes, kimonos, and yukatas to the church. We received so many donations that last year, for our first Sakura Matsuri after the COVID shutdown, we established our ‘Grandma's Attic’ booth, which was a tremendous addition to our Shopping Faire,” added Karen.
Grandma’s Attic was so popular that shoppers snapped up 75 percent of the inventory by 11:30 a.m. Buyers came early and got the best selection of premium items, like Japanese ceramic dolls.
Another interesting booth was the Japanese Family History operated by Martinus (Marty) E. Wolf, who helps families connect with their Japanese roots as a free community education service, with only a minor fee requested if extensive translation is required. He has held previous seminars at our temple.
In addition, Sakura Matsuri provided an opportunity to enjoy a variety of food, such as teriyaki beef sandwiches, curry chicken, and kalua pork. All the food sold out, as did the Japanese crepe cakes offered by the Sakura Gakuen language school and the baked goods from Girl Scout Troop 569.
Sakura Matsuri launched our temple’s 125th Anniversary merchandise too. Branded items include baseball caps, 1/4 zip long-sleeve pullovers, and vinyl stickers. Sales were brisk, according to Sandra Kataoka Fong, who helped manage the booth. Buyers were attracted by the quality of the items and the attractiveness of the anniversary-themed decorations. (More information on how to purchase the 125th Anniversary merchandise will be available soon.)
Special kudos go to Karen Adachi for making this event a big success, as well as the tireless kitchen crews from our various organizations.
Written by Steve Koyasako
