54th Annual Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival

Join Oaklanders under the moonlight for a traditional Japanese celebration of the Harvest Moon.

The Harvest moon is a symbol of blessing and abundance for many cultures. Similar to tea parties, these moon viewing parties are occasions for sharing food and stories while enjoying what is considered the most beautiful moon of the year.

Annually, several hundred people gather at Lake Merritt’s Lakeside Park Garden Center for the annual Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival. After an indoor program that typically includes martial arts demonstrations and Japanese drums, festival-goers walk to the lake to join astronomers and observe the powerful October new moon.

The Oakland Fukuoka Sister City Association, whose mission is to promote “cultural awareness, understanding, and friendship” between Oakland and Fukuoka, Japan, organizes the annual festival.

Program

5:30 p.m. – Bonsai Garden & Bento Dinner*

• Open House by the Golden State Bonsai Collection North 5:30-6:30 pm
• Japanese “Bento” box dinners (sushi & skewered meats/fish) created by Musashi! of Berkeley. Vegetarian Bentos available upon request*
• Come see our 60th anniversary mosaic mural (dedicated in 2022), the magnificent Torii Gate (dedicated in the Memory of the late Oakland Council Member Frank Ogawa 1917-1994) and 10 Japanese stone lanterns dedicated in honor of our 50th anniversary in 2012.

6:30 p.m.  Entertainment

• Diablo Taiko (Japanese drums)
• Summer High School Exchange Ambassadors
• Las Lomas High School Japanese language class

7:30 p.m. – Moon Viewing

• Telescopic Viewing of the Moon and other celestial points of interest provided by the Eastbay Astronomical Society

*Pre-order your bento dinner

Regular (meat/fish included) or Vegetarian Bento are available. All dinners may contain or be exposed to egg, gluten, soy, or other allergens. We are not able to customize dinners beyond regular (contains meat/fish) and vegetarian (no meat/fish).

To reserve your Japanese bento dinner, you can pay by personal check (discounted) or PayPal (PayPal fee included in price).

• Pay via personal check (by mail): Please send a $20 check for non-members ($17.00 for current members of OFSCA) payable to: OFSCA P.O. Box 13022, Oakland, CA 94661-3022.
• Pay via Eventbrite (online): Pre-order your bento dinners using Eventbrite. Please note that Eventbrite charges an additional transaction fee for each order.

Deadline to reserve a dinner is Monday, October 16, 2023. Dinners will not be available for purchase at the event – pre-orders only!

The pickup time for bento dinners is 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the event. If you or your designated representative do not pick up your dinner(s) by 7 p.m., in person at the event, you may forfeit your meal. We are unable to offer on-site orders.

The deadline to order your bento dinner is October 16, 2023.