Over the past four days, art campers have folded themselves into an incredible origami community that we will share and honor tomorrow. The gate will open tomorrow at 2:45pm for families to join this week’s celebration at 3pm.

Unfolding over the last two days  were a guest appearance by Portland Taiko,who graced the Music & Dance Studio all day, performing midday, and demonstrating that perseverance, respect, and collaboration are key ingredients in living life together. Other activities included sculptural koinobori, hand sewn personal rice bags, handprinted furoshiki inspired by contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, animated floating worlds of moons inspired by traditional woodblock artist Yoshitoshi, ceramic turtles and air dry oni, collaborative community murals, animated cherry blossom undersea stories, uchiwa (paddle fan) dancing, sumi-painting scrolls, and indigo-shibori t-shirts.

Today, origami artist Yuki Martin shared how to fold creating an fishing pond alongside the Glass Studio’s glass Koi ponds, and this week’s storyteller, Alton Chung, made a guest appearance in the Theatre Studio.

Tomorrow, we are all looking forward to finding out just what happens after living through all four seasons in an underwater kingdom . . . closure to this week’s mukashi banashi (very old story), Urashima Taro.

On a local cultural note, Oregon Buddhist Temple will hold its annual summertime Obon Festival on Saturday, August 5 from 3-9 pm. The event will include food booths, a beer tent, games, music (including Portland Taiko), a kimono sale, temple services, and live performances. The bon odori (communal obon dances) will begin at 7 pm and are open to all.

To learn some of these dances ahead of time, please join Chris Dart, bon odori instructor at the Oregon Buddhist Temple, for an obon dance workshop at the Japanese American Historical Plaza, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Saturday July 29, 6-8 pm, free and open to the public, in partnership with the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center.

Finally, The Nikkei Center is holding a museum exhibit, American Obon: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance, exploring the roots of obon and bon odori, their unique characteristics in the continental United States, the enduring legacy of Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga, and new developments within this venerable tradition.