Friday, September 10, 5:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Parade starts 5:45 p.m.
Opening Ceremony 6 p.m.
Saturday September 11, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, September 12, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission: Adults $5
Children under 12 $3
Toddlers free

Performance Schedule Main Stage area

Friday, September 10

5:45 – Opening Parade
6:00 – Opening Ceremony
6:15 – St. Louis Osuwa Taiko
6:30 – Springfield Ballet “Bushido”

Saturday, September 11

11:45 – Kuniko the Magical Story Teller
12:15 – Soku Aikido Club
12:45 – Kellswater (2010 Isesaki Festival Group)
1:15 – Japanese Dance (Isesaki Delegation)
1:45 – St. Louis Osuwa Taiko
2:45 – Kuniko the Magical Story Teller
3:30 – Tracy’s Karate Studio
4:15 – Supercharge (2011 Isesaki Festival Group)
5:00 – Suzuki Violin Ensemble
5:45 – Bon Odori & Zeni Daiko (Japanese Summer Festival dance) Japan America Friendship Kids
6:15 – St. Louis Osuwa Taiko
7:15 – Flute, Chapul Tagami

Sunday, September 12

12:15 – Soku Aikido Club
12:45 – Kuniko the Magical Story Teller
1:15 – St. Louis Osuwa Taiko
2:15 – Japanese Dance, Kimono (Isesaki Delegation)
2:45 – Kellswater (2010 Isesaki Festival Group)
3:15 – Springfield Ballet “Bushido”
3:30 – Kuniko the Magical Story Teller
4:15 – Tracy’s Karate Studio
5:00 – Suzuki Violin Ensemble
5:45 – Supercharge (2011 Isesaki Festival Group)
6:30 – Japanese Dance (Isesaki Delegation)
7:00 – Flute, Chapul Tagami
** Schedule subject to change if inclement weather**

Special Demonstrations By Isesaki Delegation

Saturday, September 12

Japanese flower arranging by Isesaki Delegation 12:45, 3:30, 4:30
Kimono Dressing by Isesaki Delegation 12:00, 2:30, 5:00

Sunday, September 13

Japanese flower arranging by Isesaki Delegation 4:15, 5:45
Kimono Dressing by Isesaki Delegation 3:30, 5:00

Demonstration

Sunday, September 13

Ai-zome (fabric dying with indigo ) by Connie Knudtson & Denene Taliaferro 1:00 – 3:00

Additional Activities In the garden

Koma Mawashi: Amazing! Japanese Top Spinner Hiroshi Tada – All day until dusk.

Candlelight Walks

Friday, Saturday & Sunday: From dusk till 10:00 p.m.
Enjoy a garden stroll amid hundreds of torches.

Tea Ceremony (Cha – no – yu) at the Tea House

Tea Ceremony served by Isesaki Delegation
$5 for participant, limit of five participants per ceremony.
Saturday: 12:00, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00
Sunday: 2:30, 3:45, 5:00

The Tea House is located on the north side of the Garden. Ceremonies last approximately 30 minutes and cost $5 per participant. All participants must register at the souvenir tent prior to the ceremony. We suggest you register early.

Please be at the Tea house 10 minutes prior to scheduled start time. If you are not present you will not be allowed to participate. No refunds. All proceeds benefit SSCA’s “Peace Through People” programs.

Omiyage (Souvenirs) and 100 yen store open until 8:00 p.m.

Here’s your chance to buy T-shirts and authentic Japanese souvenirs. All proceeds benefit SSCA’s “Peace Through People programs”.

Children’s Activities and Games

Friday: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Join in the hands-on children’s area with traditional games and crafts. Adults, please stay with your children in this area. Organized by Ginny Lennon and Branson High School Japan club.

Download the full schedule of events and map for the Japanese Fall Festival 2010 here

Friday, September 10 at 6:15 p.m.
Saturday, September 11 at 1:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Sunday, September, 12 at 1:15 p.m.

Taiko means “big fat drum” and long ago in Japan, drums were beaten to boost the moral of armies and communicate between villages. Today taiko are played at festivals around the world. Some say the beat of the taiko drum echos the first thing we hear – our mother’s heartbeat.

St. Louis Osuwa Taiko energized festival crowds in the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, Springfield, MO at the 2009 Japanese Fall Festival with dramatic performances of Japanese drumming and creative choreography. Video by Russ RuBert.

Find more about the St. Louis Osuwa Taiko on their website which lists upcoming performances, classes, and a contact form to request a performance.

The annual Japanese Fall Festival is sponsored by the not-for-profit Springfield Sister Cities Association and the Springfield-Greene County Parkboard. For more information about the annual Japanese Fall Festival, check out these related articles:

Cindy & Bob Stephens (right) with Blanca and Yasmin, who they hosted in Springfield at their home

Whether coming or going, home hosting is a great experience.
This year, my wife and I have had the experience of both.

Staying with a Host Family

In February, 2010, I traveled to Isesaki, Japan representing Spring- field City Council to renew and re-affirm our 24-year Sister City relationship. After the initial night or two in a local hotel, all members of our visiting party were assigned to home hosts.
The Nishamuri family welcomed me into their home for the rest of the week. My family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Nisha- muri and their two daughters. Their son was away in Tokyo at school.

As home hosts, they volunteered their time to drive me to wherever I needed to be and also spent a day showing me around Isesaki, where we visited a large religious statue, an open air market, a grotto with a number of religious icons displayed, and then had a meal at a very nice restaurant. We then returned to the house, where we all got dressed for the banquet that evening.

Japanese society is more formal or ’scheduled’ than here in the U.S. and the first order of business on my first evening in their home was to arrange our schedule for the next day. This pattern was followed for the remainder of my trip. I was there, although trying to stay out of the way, while the Nishamuri daughters were getting ready for work. I went with them to the grocery store and, essentially, followed their schedules unless I had other appointments scheduled by the International Relations Department.

The really important thing about staying with my home hosts was the almost immediate feeling of becoming a part of their family. I feel as though I have another family in Japan and I certainly hope they understand that we are their family here in the states.

Being a Host Family

The hosting part is a little bit different. Cindy and I hosted two of the members, Blanca and Yasmin. For the all-female mariachi group, we were the ones who knew where we were going, when we had to be there, and were there to help provide whatever they needed to make their trip to Springfield a success.

We met them at the airport and took part in the welcoming ceremonies. We also learned which of the musicians would be staying with us and had a few minutes to introduce ourselves before we all headed out to our various homes. It turned out that the ladies were starving (two legs of an air trip without food will do that), so we gave them several options of restaurants and their choice was The Argentina Steak House.

After dinner, we got them settled in and then gathered in the family room to get acquainted. We looked at family photos and learned that all the musicians were professionals and that this was their only job. We heard about their weeklong trip to London (they arrived back in Mexico the day before they left for Springfield!) and about how they were selected for the group.

The next three or four days were a whirlwind of appearances, changing costumes, and getting them from one spot to another. Although they were very tired, they were always professional, and their appearances at the schools were highlights of the students’ week.

Again, the main take-away for me was the feeling that I now have another extended family in a different country. Cindy summed up that feeling perfectly when Yasmin was playing a solo, “It’s our daughter! I’m so proud!”

There is no doubt in my mind that Blanca and Yasmin understand that they are welcome in our home at any time and that, when we get to Tlaquepaque, we will be looking for them.

For more information about how to host visitors from our Sister Cities, or opportunities to go on home-stay visits to Isesaki, Japan or Tlaquepaque, Mexico, please contact:

Springfield Sister Cities Association (SSCA)
PO Box 8368
Springfield, MO 65801
(417) 864-1191
Email: sistercity@springfieldmo.gov

The weekend following Labor Day each September, the Springfield Sister Cities Association hosts the Annual Japanese Fall Festival in the beautiful Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden. This year’s festival will be Friday evening, Sept. 10 through Sunday, Sept. 12.

The attendance at this Festival was approximately 9,000 people in 2009. Don’t miss your chance to participate in 2010!

Note to artists and vendors:  It is the goal of SSCA to keep this event as authentic as possible.

We ask that you give us as many details as you can about the products in your booth. Images would be appreciated.

The SSCA Isesaki Committee will review applications, looking for applications that are

1. authentic to Japanese culture and tradition or tied to current trends in Japan
2. are authentic to gardening / landscape practices.
3. are not in direct competition with items SSCA has available in the souvenir tent.

Space is limited. If you meet our qualifications as a vendor, we suggest you get your space reserved now!
Deadline for assignment of booth space is August 10th, 2010.

Click here to download a vendor booth application form

or email SSCA to schedule an artist performance.

We will be honored with the performances by our delegation from our sister city of Isesaki, Japan. Their group will lead authentic tea ceremonies, play koto (Japanese style harp), demonstrate flower arranging, and have a kimono fashion show. The performing delegations sent by the City of Isesaki are always the highlight to our event, and SSCA would like to thank them for their efforts.

We will also have a professional story teller, performing stories for children while wearing costumes and doing magic. Kuniko is coming all the way from Orlando, Florida, so don’t miss her on stage!

Yes, the Osuwa Taiko Drum Group from St. Louis will be performing again. Taiko drums are truly amazing. Your whole body beats with the rhythm of these giant drums. Other highlights and performances will include a top spinner from St. Louis, local artists, souvenirs, a children’s activity area, demonstrations and exhibits.

Each evening ends with a beautiful candlelight and torch walk. This is the only time of the year you can see this beautiful garden at night.

Volunteers are needed! We need your help staffing the event or hosting the visitors from Isesaki in your home. Performers related to Japanese traditional culture, pop culture, or history are needed!

If you are interested in getting involved, please call Cindy Jobe @ 864-1341 or send an email

SSCA would like to thank the Springfield-Greene County Park Board for their support and partnership for this event. It takes SSCA and Parks to make this work for our community!

click here to download the 2010 Japanese Fall Festival poster

Performing together for the first time again, after seven years, this local group of balladeers presents an Irish concert for the benefit of the cultural exchange program of Springfield Sister Cities Association.

In August, Kellswater will travel to Isesaki, Japan to represent Springfield at the Isesaki City Summer Festival (Isesaki Matsuri).

Recorded at a benefit concert performance at Lindberg’s on Commercial Street. All donations are tax deductible, and will go to offset the cost of travel to Isesaki for this and future festival performing delegations.

In August, Kellswater will travel to Isesaki, Japan to represent Springfield at the Isesaki City Summer Festival (Isesaki Matsuri).

Join us for the benefit concert performance at Lindberg’s on Commercial Street. All donations are tax deductible, and will go to offset the cost of travel to Isesaki for this and future festival performing delegations.

Lindberg’s is located on

Springfield’s historic C-Street district at 318 W. Commercial.

Please join us on Thursday, July 15th at 6:00.

This is a non-smoking facility.

Baseball is a sport growing in popularity in Mexico, and Tlaquepaque had been looking for an American team that would be willing to come play their city league. Whaley said representatives from Tlaquepaque were also excited about the positive impact that players could have on the young men of their city.

“As baseball players for EU, we make it a point to have fellowship with our opponents after each game. So, being given the chance to go to another country and introduce as friends and get to know the heart of our opponents through a game we obviously love is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
— Kristopher Irwin, P/INF, Success, Missouri

The invitation to the team came about through the Springfield Sister Cities Association relationship between Tlaquepaque and Springfield, which have been formal sister cities since 2003. Evangel’s director of University Relations, Dennis Whaley who is also a board member for the Springfield Sister Cities Association. In January of 2009, he gave two members of the Tlaquepaque Chamber of Commerce a tour of Evangel’s campus, and they were impressed with Evangel’s baseball field house and program.

Whaley began working with Chad Gehring, who coordinates mission trips for Evangel’s athletic teams, and baseball coach Lance Quessenberry. Coach Lance Quessenberry says the team has never had a chance to take an international trip, and he is excited for his players. Both men saw the invitation as an opportunity for cultural development in the lives of the baseball players, as well as the impact they could have in Mexico.

The Tlaquepaque Chamber of Commerce, the Sister Cities Association, and members of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce are partially sponsoring the trip. After playing in Tlaquepaque for three days, the Crusaders will partner with Assemblies of God missionary Steve Shoop with Chi Alpha at the University of Guadalajara to work with inner-city children in a poverty-stricken project in the city.

“It’s a real privilege to go to another country where I can share friendship to my Hispanic brothers and show how we play the game of baseball in the U.S. Also this trip will give us a better understanding of a different culture and other people. It is a great opportunity for the baseball team to go out and touch the lives of others outside of the U.S.”
— Al Lebron, P, Orlando, Florida

Whaley says this trip exemplifies what Evangel is all about: Teaching students to integrate faith, learning and life. “In this case, it’s playing baseball,” he says. “Our students can go out and do what they do — play baseball — and in doing that, they can be positive role models to young men in another country, have a chance to touch the lives of the children and share beyond baseball one on one. This is what Evangel does best.”

Paco Padilla, John Price, and Bob Jones perform “Dona Mariquita” also known as “Eleanor Rigby” at the Springfield Sister Cities 2010 Annual Meeting. The SSCA annual meeting is a wonderful celebration held annually for SSCA members and friends.

Bob Jones had recently returned from an exchange in which his JRB Band visited Tlaquepaque and performed for audiences there.

If you missed the lady mariachis playing violins, trumpet and bass guitar as they marched down the center of ArtsFest on historic Walnut Street, you can watch the video here.

The musicians didn’t miss a beat as they walked and smiled at the crowd, picking up more and more followers as they progressed towards the main stage for their noon performance.