Enjoy the custom of Toro Nagashi by floating a lantern to honor those who have passed. In addition to the 12+ merchant booths, the festival includes a wide variety of performances in the Inamori Pavilion. There will be food vendors serving in the lower garden, as well as a beer and sake garden.
What is Toro Nagashi? (Means “floating lanterns”).
Toro Nagashi is a Buddhist ceremony where lanterns are floated to commemorate those who have passed away. In Japan, this custom typically takes place during the Bon Festival. At JFGM, we celebrate the Toro Nagashi Festival each year, offering guests the opportunity to honor a loved one by floating a lantern in the garden’s koi pond.
Starting at 10AM on Friday, August 8th, a limited number of lanterns will be available for purchase at the festival in the lower garden’s Inamori Pavilion. Lantern presale is available at https://www.niwa.org/toro-nagashi-ceremonies. Guests will be able to write a dedication on their lantern before floating the lanterns in the lower garden stream during designated ceremony times (12PM, 2PM and 4PM).
Toro Nagashi Evening Ceremony
Guests will be able to float their candle-lit lanterns (LED candles) in the lower garden stream during the evening ceremony on Friday, August 8th. Tickets to the evening ceremony includes admission to the daytime Toro Nagashi Festival, 1 lantern, evening floating and ceremony, and a dinner bento box. Evening ceremony tickets can be purchased at Toro Nagashi Night Ceremony — Japanese Friendship Garden.
More information about this event can be found at Toro Nagashi Festival — Japanese Friendship Garden
