Special Events
MATCHA: Kampai! Sake + Tea
Thursday, June 18
5:00 – 9:00 pm
Museum-wide
$10 general, FREE for members. Includes general admission and entry to Lords of the Samurai
Quench your summer thirst with the refreshing flavors of sake and tea, and learn about their respective cultures. Cultivate your palate with a sake tasting and multi-media presentation by author and art history lecturer with an expertise in the visual history of the culinary arts, Kirsten Shilakes. Sip, learn and chat with sake sommelier and manager of True Sake, Miwa Wong, about the nuanced tastes and bouquets of sake. Discover the flavors and rituals in Japanese Way of Tea, an art-form closely interwoven with ancient Samurai culture. At the heart of this practice is matcha, a refined powdered green tea and the namesake of the MATCHA program series. Observe the meticulous preparation of matcha and whisk your own. View Lords of the Samurai, dip into a talk on tea practice and warrior culture, join a docent conversation, or relax with a sake-tini, friends, and DJ-spun music. Learn more about MATCHA.
Raising Spirits
Thursday, June 25
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Samsung Hall
$30 general, $20 members (includes general admission, sake tastes, and a light snack). Pre-registration is advised. Tickets available June 1 online.
Raising Spirits is dynamic fusion of art, food and wine produced by author, art history lecturer and sake aficionado Kirsten Shilakes. Join us in this 90-minute, upbeat, multimedia and multi-sensory exploration of the museum’s collection through vivid tales of art and wine carefully synchronized with the artworks. Sake sommelier and manager of True Sake, Miwa Wong will introduce and evaluate four premium sakes for you to try. You’ll leave Raising Spirits an art and sake aficionado!
Special Kyogen Performance
Thursday, July 16
6:30 pm
Samsung Hall
$5 members, $22 general (includes general admission and entry to Lords of the Samurai). Tickets available June 16 online.
AsiaAlive resident artists Izumi Junko and Miyake Tokuro will be joined in this special performance of Japanese comedy-drama by their brother, Izumi Motoya, the 20th generation head master of the Izumi School of Kyogen. One of the two schools of Kyogen in Japan, the Izumi School has a history of 571 years. Also appearing on stage is Izumi Kyoko, the daughter of Izumi Junko, making her US stage debut at the age of six.
Co-sponsored with the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco.
Crazy for Kanji
Sunday, August 2
10:00 am–1:00 pm
Education Studios, (Space is limited, and on a first-come, first-served basis)
FREE general admission, courtesy of Target*
Author Eve Kushner serves up a palatable plate of kanji from her new book, Crazy for Kanji. Using games, puzzles, cultural clues and fun facts, Crazy for Kanji delivers Japanese written characters with a side of fun. Join Eve at this engaging program for kids and families—learn the stroke order of characters related to samurai, train your brain with verbal logic quizzes, and play a game of sudoku, kanji style. Books are available for purchase in the Museum Store. Eve Kushner, a Berkeley based writer and student of Japanese, is an incurable kanji-holic.
*"Target First Free Sundays"—free general admission on the first Sunday of every month and the family programs offered on that day—is made possible by Target. Free admission to Target First Free Sundays is granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to capacity restrictions, admission is not guaranteed. Galleries may be crowded. Special exhibition surcharge of $5 is applicable for Lords of the SAMURAI.
MATCHA: Way of the Sword
Thursday, August, 27
5:00 – 9:00 pm
Museum-wide
$10 general, FREE for members. Includes general admission and entry to Lords of the Samurai
Hailing from the sword techniques of Japanese samurai, Iaido (ee-eye-doe) is a martial art from days of battle and warfare, preserved and passed on for 450 unbroken years. The practitioner (iaidoka) wields a sword not to control the opponent, but to control himself. He develops a peaceful, harmonious, and active mind, ready to react. MATCHA is honored to present a rare appearance of Seigen Esaka, Hanshi 10th Dan, one of Japan's finest sword practitioners. The cream of the crop with a prestigious background and impressive achievements, he will demonstrate iaido. Drop in on a movement workshop or cool down with an art activity, chat with a docent about Lords of the Samurai, or chill by the DJ booth with cocktails and friends. Learn more about the MATCHA program series.
