April: month of Miyako Odori

When you travel through Japan this month, you will encounter a country covered with blooming trees: red, white and pink blossoms of peach and cherry unfold their splendour, and here and there still lingering plum blossoms can be found. It is the month of hanami, cherry blossom viewing, when thousand of people gather for a picnic around blooming cherry trees, it is the month of chatsumi, the start of picking tea, and for tea people it marks the start of the summer season when they part from the sunken hearth (ro) built in into the tea room to the portable hearth (furo). But this time I don't want to set the focus on tea, as April features another exceptional event: the third anniversary of our Okiya on April 9th! And it also marks the start of our Miyako Odori.

Miyako Odori is a whole month lasting dance festival performed by the Maiko and Geiko of Gion Kobu that goes back to the 19th century. In 1869 the capital of Japan was moved to a former fisher village called Edo, now known as Tokyo, and caused the decline of Kyoto (back then still known as Miyako) that had been the capital for more than thousand years. That changed in 1872, when Kyoto used the there put world exhibition to promote prosperity with an a whole month lasting "dance festival of the old capital" - Miyako Odori. It is now one of the main events in Kyoto.

We are very happy to invite you to celebrate the following events with us!


Miyako Odori Opening Ceremonies and Blue Lotus Anniversary
Friday, April 9th, 12pm SLT
Blue Lotus Cherry Paths

~*~*~ Sakura Poem
~*~*~ Saturday, April 10th, 2pm SLT
~*~*~ SS Galaxy

Blossom Viewing
Thursday, April 15th, 1pm SLT
Blue Lotus Cherry Paths

~*~*~ Festival of Blossoms
~*~*~ Monday, April 12th, 5pm SLT
~*~*~ Blue Lotus Okiya

Celebratory Dance
Saturday, April 17th, 12pm SLT
Asuka

~*~*~ Play "Blossom Flower"
~*~*~ Wednesday, April 21st, 12:30pm SLT
~*~*~ Blue Lotus Noh stage

Blossom Dance
Thursday, April 22nd, 7pm SLT
SS Galaxy

~*~*~ Blossom Viewing
~*~*~ Thursday, April 29th, 1pm SLT
~*~*~ Blue Lotus Cherry Paths

Closing Ceremonies
Friday, April 30th, 7pm SLT
Blue Lotus Cherry Paths