Three Decades In, Fort Worth's Japanese Festivals Blossom At Botanic Gardens

Arlington TX

21 April, 2022

6:31 PM

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By Haley Samsel | Miranda Suarez, Fort Worth Report April 20, 2022 Harvey Yamagata has spent more than 15 years as president of the Fort Worth Japanese Society, and even more time as a volunteer at the organization's events. But Yamagata can recall a time when he wasn't particularly interested in volunteering his time toward the group. His parents, who co-founded the organization in 1985, asked him to help out with the Japanese festivals held at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden each spring and fall. "In many Japanese families, like many other ethnic groups, you respect your elders," Yamagata, a retired business executive, said. "I listened to my parents, and so they made me do certain things. In the long run, it's been very helpful for me, and so they were right. Not that I was wrong, but when you're young, you've got other things you want to do." Three decades have passed since the Japanese festivals first kicked off in the 1990s, and the number of attendees grows each year. More than 10,000 people attended last year's fall festival, and Yamagata expects at least that many to turn out for the spring festival, set for April 23-24. To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.