2023 Tanabta (Star Festival) - Nikka Yuko Japanese GardenNEW

Join us for Tanabata (Star Festival) on July 8 and 9 for a special 2 for 1 pricing for our Yukata Dressing and Happi Jackets. Experience Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden like a local with our Yukata Dressing Experience!

Yukatas are light, casual kimonos that originated in the bathhouses and onsen [hot springs] as a dressing gown. Today, locals and tourists wear them regularly in the summer while visiting festivals, on holidays and relaxing at a resort, in onsens, and of course, while visiting a garden! The yukata is made from a light, breathable cotton and is fitted with an obi [belt] to keep it in place. Both women and men can wear yukatas, and the look is completed with a pair of geta or zori, which are sandals. Geta are flat wooden sandals raised on vertical slats, while zori is a flat sandal similar to a flip-flop made from rice straw or lacquered wood.

While you're here, join us for Tanzaku-making in the Pavilion (writing a wish and hanging on a tree by the gate).

Pricing
$30 for Yukata Dressing for two (Tanabata only)
$10 for Happi Jackets for two (Tanabata only)

Dates
July 8 - 9, 2023

About the Garden
Established during Canada’s Centennial in 1967, Nikka Yuko was built to recognize contributions made by citizens of Japanese ancestry to the multicultural community of Lethbridge, Alberta, and as a symbol of international friendship. Its name was created from the Japanese words Ni (from Nihon meaning Japan), ka from Kanada or Canada, and Yuko, which translates as “friendship” to mean “Japan-Canada friendship.”

The idea for Nikka Yuko began with a small group of people: Reverend Yutetsu Kawamura, a Canadian Buddhist priest, his wife Yoneko, and Cleo Mowers, publisher of the Lethbridge Herald. Their vision was to create a Japanese-style garden that reflected southern Alberta’s magnificent mountain and prairie scenery. In Japanese garden design philosophy, nature is interpreted through abstract and artistic symbolism, which results in a very intriguing landscape. When Kurt Steiner, the manager of the city tourism organization, heard the idea, he immediately promoted it, and the surrounding community came together to champion a unique event in a small Canadian city.