Special Programs

Updated Health & Safety Guidelines

Due to the ongoing public health threat of COVID-19, programs are subject to change and/or cancellation.  By participating, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

Morikami provides informative and unique experiences for all ages through its Special Programs. Here you will find educational and cultural programming related to our current exhibitions and all things Japan—lectures, films, performances, special events, and more!

All programs are open for registration on August 1st of each year for the upcoming season. Each season runs from October through the summer of the next year.

Explore each special programs page or browse the full list.

Films Gala Halloween Weekend Morikami Book Club Mori Stories Music Performance Obon Weekend Orchid Weekend Speaker Series  Sunset Stroll Stroll for Well-Being

All programs will take place in the Kamiya Room, unless stated otherwise. No reservations needed.
Mori Stories: Kamishibai Folktales
Readings start at 1:00pm (Lasts approximately an hour with the activity.)
Bring the whole family and delve into the world of Japanese folklore or stories through kamishibai, Paper Theater. Join us for a reading of these classic stories. Reading starts on the hour with a short related activity to follow.
1:00PM, Thursday, April 6, 2023
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
“The Tongue-Cut Sparrow”
Morikami Book Club
Open to all Morikami Members

Join Wisdom Ring member Christine Carton and fellow Morikami members as they start their new season of exciting book reading! For more information please email Christine Carton at christinec@gate.net. Morikami Book Club 2022-2023 Selection 1A & 1B: We will read both books.  1B - Will be discussed during the lecture series at the Museum on October 29. 1A …

12:00PM, Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
12:00PM, Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
12:00PM, Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
Enjoy the Morikami Roji-en Gardens after hours!
Sunset Stroll

Step into a world of tranquility and beauty at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens' Sunset Stroll. Join us for a memorable evening as we open our doors after hours and welcome you to explore our stunning gardens. Immerse yourself in the peaceful ambiance and enjoy live musical performances on our lakefront terrace. Treat your taste …

5:30PM, Thursday, April 20, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
5:30PM, Thursday, July 20, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
5:30PM, Thursday, September 21, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
Take a cinematic journey through Japan with the Morikami Film Series
Film: Wife of a Spy
Underwritten by Michael Sonnenreich
Master filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Cure, Tokyo Sonata) delivers his “best movie in years” (Indiewire) in this riveting, gorgeously crafted, old-school Hitchockian thriller, which follows a Japanese woman during WWII who begins to suspect her husband’s Western connections may be hiding something more sinister.
7:00PM, Friday, April 21, 2023
Morikami Theater
Only 1 screening of this film.

(In Japanese, subtitled in English)

7:00PM, Friday, April 21, 2023
Morikami Theater
Only 1 screening of this film.

(In Japanese, subtitled in English)

Craft activities for kids of all ages.
Virtual Family Fun Days
Virtual craft activities for kids of all ages.
12:00AM, Saturday, April 22, 2023
Virtual
Kasa: Japanese Umbrellas
12:00AM, Saturday, June 24, 2023
Virtual
I-Spy Japanese Sign Language
12:00AM, Sunday, July 16, 2023
Virtual
Marine Day : Sea Animals
12:00AM, Saturday, August 26, 2023
Virtual
Let’s Learn Japanese: Vegetable-edition
12:00AM, Saturday, September 2, 2023
Virtual
Onigiri (Rice Ball) Workshop
Joint presentation by Curator Barbara Johns and Art Historian Sandy Kita
Speaker Series: Takuichi Fujii: The Artist and the Person
Sponsored by JM Family Enterprises

Friday, May 5, 2023 Time: 1:00pm Cost: FREE (with paid museum admission) Tickets are available the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited seating available Location: Morikami Theater Takuichi Fujii: Artist and Wartime Witness Talk by Barbara Johns Barbara Johns will discuss Takuichi Fujii’s life and art in its historical context, with particular focus on the World War II …

1:00PM, Friday, May 5, 2023
Morikami Theater
(Tickets available the day of the event at a first come, first served basis. Limited seating available.)
1:00PM, Friday, May 5, 2023
Morikami Theater
(Tickets available the day of the event at a first come, first served basis. Limited seating available.)
Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: Children’s Day
Join us in celebrating Children’s Day by making a koinobori, a Japanese flying carp, an origami kabuto hat, or color in a Japanese kimono-inspired bookmark.
10:00AM, Saturday, May 6, 2023
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: Mushi no Hi: Bug Day
Take on the role of a bug-catcher and learn how to make some bugs out of origami.
12:00PM, Sunday, June 4, 2023
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
Take a cinematic journey through Japan with the Morikami Film Series
Film: Grave of the Fireflies
Sponsored by JM Family Enterprises

11:00AM, Saturday, June 17, 2023
Morikami Theater
2 screenings of this film

(11:00am & 2:00pm (both In Japanese, subtitled in English)

11:00AM, Saturday, June 17, 2023
Morikami Theater
2 screenings of this film

(11:00am & 2:00pm (both In Japanese, subtitled in English)

Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: Tanabata
Make a wish for the Star Festival, Tanabata! Write your wish on a strip of colored paper, or tanzaku, and tie it to a branch of our Tanabata bamboo to celebrate.
10:00AM, Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Lobby
10:00AM, Thursday, July 6, 2023
Lobby
10:00AM, Friday, July 7, 2023
Lobby
10:00AM, Saturday, July 8, 2023
Lobby
10:00AM, Sunday, July 9, 2023
Lobby
Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: Teru Teru Tanzaku
Teru Teru Bozu are charms that are said to keep the rain away. Learn how to make one and combine it with a tanzaku, a strip of colored paper, for a small $2 donation.
12:00PM, Saturday, July 8, 2023
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
Take a cinematic journey through Japan with the Morikami Film Series
Film: Lu Over The Wall
Sponsored by JM Family Enterprises
From visionary anime auteur Masaaki Yuasa comes a joyously hallucinogenic but family-friendly take on the classic fairy tale about a little mermaid who comes ashore to join a middle-school rock band and propel them to fame. Kai is talented but adrift, spending his days sulking in a small fishing village after his family moves from Tokyo. His only joy is uploading songs he writes to the internet. When his classmates invite him to play keyboard in their band, their practice sessions bring an unexpected guest: Lu, a young mermaid whose fins turn to feet when she hears the beats, and whose singing causes humans to compulsively dance – whether they want to or not.
11:00AM, Sunday, July 16, 2023
Morikami Theater
2 screenings of this film

(11:00 am (Dubbed in English) | 2:00 pm (In Japanese, subtitled in English)

11:00AM, Sunday, July 16, 2023
Morikami Theater
2 screenings of this film

(11:00 am (Dubbed in English) | 2:00 pm (In Japanese, subtitled in English)

Take a cinematic journey through Japan with the Morikami Film Series
Documentary Film Screening: Resistance at Tule Lake
Underwritten by Michael Sonnenreich
RESISTANCE AT TULE LAKE tells the long-suppressed story of 12,000 Japanese Americans who dared to resist the U.S. government's program of mass incarceration during World War II.
7:00PM, Friday, July 28, 2023
Morikami Theater
Educational Programming
Registration Opens for the NEW Season Today
All programs open for Registration and Ticket purchase(s).
The season runs from October of the present year through the summer of the following year. The season is available for registration and ticket purchases on August 1st every year.
10:00AM, Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
10:00AM, Thursday, August 1, 2024
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
10:00AM, Friday, August 1, 2025
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: Hashi no Hi: Chopstick Day
Celebrate Chopstick Day by making your very own origami chopstick holder.
12:00PM, Saturday, August 5, 2023
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
Respect for the aged day family
Craft activity for kids of all ages
Family Fun Day: “Respect for the Aged Day” Card
Celebrate the elders in your life by making a card for “Respect for the Aged” Day.
12:00PM, Sunday, September 17, 2023
Kamiya Room (Classroom A)
Educational Programming
NEW Season Starts Today
All programs open for Registration and Ticket purchase(s).
The season runs from October of the present year through the summer of the following year. The season is available for registration and ticket purchases on August 1st every year.
10:00AM, Sunday, October 1, 2023
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
10:00AM, Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
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