Japanese traditional rite of passage and festival day for three- and seven-year old girls, and three- and five-year-old boys.  Makeups, hair designs, Japanese Kimono dressing, photo shoot, and Japanese candy for girls and boys.

                                                                            

                    

12th Hakone Annual Chakai (Tea Gathering)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Over 190 participated this year's Chakai event under gorgeous autumn sky.

Autumn Opera in the Gardens
Friday, September 7, 2012
6:30 - 9:30 PM
Don Quixote: Man of La Mancha

Matsuri (Spring Festival)
Sunday, May 20, 2012, 11 AM - 4 PM



Each year, the Hakone Supporting Committee presents Matsuri, a spring festival, filled with flavorful cultural events such  as traditional music, art, and dance performances, food, silent auction, and children's games.
For information in English, click here.
For information in Japanese, click here.

Hakone’s Spring Symposium on China featuring international award winning journalist and author, Michelle Dammon Loyalka, as she speaks on China’s rapid rush to global economic prominence with her new book:

Eating Bitterness: Stories from the Front Lines of China’s Great Urban Migration (University of California Press).

Persian New Year Now Ruz Celebration
Sunday, March 25, 2012, 11 AM - 5 PM

A festive event with delicious authentic Persian food, drinks and deserts, traditional and pop Persian music, dance performance, arts and crafts.  Special appearance by Amoo Nowruz.  You will get full access to the beautiful gardens and all programs at Hakone. Food available for purchase. 

Admission $7, seniors over 65 and students under 17 $5, children of 4 years and under free when accompanied by an adult.  No reservation required.  Please pay at the entry.

Free shuttle service will run from 12 noon to 5 PM at the 6th Street and Big Basin Way junction.

A Commemoration Reception

Year of the Dragon Lunar New Year Celebration Sunday, March 4, 2012 12 PM -  4 PM

 

11th Hakone Annual Chakai (Tea Gathering)

Sunday, October 16, 2011

4^th Annual Autumn Opera in the Gardens –
88th anniversary of Madame Butterfly at Hakone, on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011.

 

This year marks the 88th anniversary of the West Coast premiere of Madame Butterfly. First performed here in 1923, the production met with rave reviews as people traveled from as far away as Los Angeles, Seattle, and even New York to see the West Coast premiere. This year we celebrated the auspicious 88th anniversary with a production encompassing some of the most memorable scenes from the opera.

 

Artists:

Christopher Bengochea, Tenor - as Pinkerton

Keiko Kagawa, Soprano - as Cio Cio san

Cathleen Candia, Mezzo Soprano - as Suzuki

John Minagro, Baritone - as Sharpless

Cast of Community Opera

Mayumi Ashiya - Yamaha Electrone/Orchestra

 

The evening of opera in the gardens began with hors d'oeuvres and wine, and guests had a chance to mingle with the performers under the moonlight.

Memoirs of a Geisha 5^th Anniversary

Sunday April 17, 2011

Five years ago, the film Memoirs of a Geisha won three Academy awards: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design. Many people know that the movie was filmed in part at Hakone, but not many can spot all the locations. This special members-only event included a walking tour led by Hakone CEO Lon Saavedra that showcased all the places where filming took place. A series of posters commemorating the filming was produced and is on display at the Cultural Exchange Center.

Tenth Hakone Dai Chakai

Sunday, October 17, 2010, 11 AM – 4 PM

An afternoon with a variety of traditional Japanese tea schools serving in different locations throughout the Gardens.

In 2010, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Dai Chakai, the heir of the Yabunouchi school of tea brought a group from Kyoto to demonstrate their way of serving tea. The Yabunouchi school is not one of the Sen family schools, with which people are more familiar, this was a real a treat.

Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition & Demonstration

This event was held on Friday, September 17 and  Saturday, September 25, at the Moon Viewing House (Upper House). It was a fundraiser for North California Life Line, with sponsorship by Christian Life.

Noh Theatre at Night

Sunday, May 16, 2010, 11 AM - 4 PM

For the first time in Hakone's 95-year-history the Foundation  proudly presented a rare Noh Theatre Torchlight Performance in the Gardens, featuring 11 Noh performers from Kyoto, Japan.  Noh is a form of classical Japanese musical drama dating back to the 14th century where the main characters perform dances wearing masks. The story text contains many poetical allusions and the dances, though slow, are quite graceful. The Noh play was preceded by a Kyogen Play by local players. A

Katsura Rikyu 17th Century Imperial Villa: the photographs of Ishimoto Yasuhiro

April 2 - April 18, 2010 Moon Viewing House at Hakone

Hakone is proud to present the exclusive Northern CA showing of the works of famed photographer Ishimoto Yasuhiro. The exhibition of the Emperor of Japan's Imperial Villa in Kyoto, built in the early 1600's, includes a wide array of photographs.

Wine & Wisteria II

Sunday, April 11, 2010, 5 PM - 7:30 PM

Savor Saratoga's annual Wine & Wisteria festival. Enjoy wine tasting, silent auction, and hors-d'oeuvres featuring local wineries.