Tsukimi (Moonviewing) in the Arboretum

Note: Japan House will NOT be open to the public during Tsukimi and there are no public restrooms in the Arboretum. All activities will take place outside so please plan accordingly.

Tsukimi (月見) or O-tsukimi (お月見) is a holiday that celebrates the beauty of the Harvest Moon. Influenced by the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, this special night has become a unique Japanese custom of holding moon-viewing parties featuring special food and beautiful decorations for thousands of years.

Each year at Japan House, we offer the opportunity for guests to view a tea ceremony and to celebrate the full moon together in the beauty of the gardens.

Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji will perform a special tea ceremony in the Japan House Gardens to honor the Harvest Moon for all to watch.

Floral artist and ikebana teacher Reiko Takahashi will be making a special ikebana arrangement called "Tatehana" as an offering to the Moon along the deck near the dry rock garden.

Longtime friend, and former student of Japan House, Omar Francis, will be playing the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute played vertically.

Japan House interns will be floating lanterns to illuminate the ponds and guests are welcome to stroll through the area for this solemn occasion. In the south driveway, Japan House will have a pop-up matcha cafe offering tsukimi manju and sweetened matcha for sale. Pre-orders are welcome online and limited quantities are available for walk-up purchases. The cafe will open once the tea ceremony is complete and an offering is made to the moon. The tsukimi manju contains gluten but is otherwise nut-free and vegetarian.

As this event will be taking place after dark (the Arboretum officially closes at sunset), please note that all guests must leave the grounds no later than 11pm. Guests are asked to be respectful of the grounds and of each other. Please abide by Arboretum rules - absolutely no smoking, fire, or fireworks are permitted. There are garbage bins by the south parking lot F-32 - we kindly ask that guests use those or take their trash with them.

Remember that no matter where you are, we are all looking up at the same moon. We hope you enjoy Tsukimi!

About the Artists

Kimiko Gunji is Professor Emeritus of Japanese Arts & Culture in the School of Art & Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and taught from 1979-2011. She was also Director of Japan House at the University of Illinois from 1998-2011. She is a Full Professor of the Ikenobo School of Ikebana for Japanese flower arranging and Chapter President of the Illinois Prairie Ikenobo Ikebana Group. She holds the tea name, or chamei, Souki, from the Urasenke School of Tea and serves as President of the Chado Urasenke Urbana-Champaign Association. She also holds a teaching certificate of nihon buyo (Japanese classical dance). Gunji has received numerous awards for her teachings as well as for her contributions to promote Japanese arts and culture. Among them were the University of Illinois Campus Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in the Field of Ethnic and Folk Arts, and the Commendation from the Foreign Ministry in Japan for her contribution to promote and strengthen the ties of friendship and goodwill between the United States and Japan. The most distinguished award she received is the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese Government, which was bestowed by the Japanese Emperor. Having taught for fifty years, she currently teaches Japanese traditional arts to local students as well as to the community members at Japan House at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She also gives lectures/demonstrations on Japanese arts and culture at various colleges and universities as well as many different organizations. Her wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) book, The Art of Wagashi, was published in April 2019. Recently, her second book Wagashi: Season by Season was published in May 2024.

Reiko Takahashi is President of the Illinois Prairie Chapter of Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America and a member of the Ikebana International Chicago Chapter. As a native of Japan living in the United States, Reiko developed an interest in being a cultural bridge between the two countries. To be more knowledgeable about the art and culture of Japan, Reiko chose to study Japanese floral design, or ikebana, one of the most representative aspects of traditional Japanese art. She has studied ikebana since 2001 under Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji at the College of Art and Design, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds the certificate of Sokakan – the rank of second grade, full professor – from the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of Floral Art in Kyoto, Japan. She is currently enrolled in the Ikenobo Central Training Institute working on an advanced diploma. Through , Reiko unites her love of art and nature together with her unique design skills to create beautiful artwork with flowers.

Omar Francis is a licensed instructor in The Urasenke Tradition of Chadō, commonly known as the Japanese Tea Ceremony. First introduced to Chadō at the University of Illinois (USA) in 1992, he was later admitted into the Midorikai program for a year of intensive training at the Urasenke headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. Since then, he has continued his studies as a member the Chicago Association of Urasenke, taking part in many educational and cultural activities. Francis Sensei is currently teaching at the , Chicago, IL.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Japan House, 2000 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, United States