Akimatsuri - La Fête de l'automne au Parc Borély

As in previous years, Japanese culture is the guiding theme of this edition of Akimatsuri.

As every year, on the first weekend of October, Marseille celebrates the Autumn Festival, Akimatsuri in Japanese, at the botanical garden of Parc Borély (8th arrondissement). Come and enjoy this green haven on October 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last admissions and last workshops at 5 p.m.).

The park’s living museum has hosted this free Japanese event, open to everyone, for several years. As in previous years, Japanese culture is the guiding theme of this edition of Akimatsuri, with around twenty planned stalls and stages.

Remember to bring your water bottles; no plastic bottles will be sold, with the aim of reducing plastic waste. Water fountains will be available.

Program:

This year, around twenty stalls once again invite you to discover Japanese traditions and culture:

- tea ceremony - bon odori: traditional dance - introduction to Japanese calligraphy - kitsuke: how to wear a kimono traditionally - kamishibai: storytelling - Okinawan dances - wadaiko: drums - sashiko: embroidery - ikebana: floral art - Japanese martial arts: karate, kendo, nippon kempo and many other stalls to discover...

Discover the Japanese garden:

The Autumn Festival is also an opportunity to discover the Japanese Garden, a symbol of cooperation between the cities of Marseille and Kobe through a twinning agreement established in 1961. This 1,700 m² garden was designed in the traditional Japanese style "Chisen kai yu shiki," meaning "strolling garden around a pond," and follows ancestral Japanese principles. The garden is designed to encourage meditation and represents an idealization of nature by limiting artificial elements, creating a true haven of peace in the heart of Marseille.

Based on the principle of the "three depths," it reflects a symbolism specific to Japanese culture. Water, the source of purity, is at the heart of the garden. Stones and rocks are considered shelters for spirits. The small red bridge represents the passage between the material and spiritual worlds. The lotus represents the throne of Eastern deities, and the "dew path," decorated with lanterns, enabled tea ceremony masters to reach the pavilion.

This site is home to many different species of trees (maple, malus, pine, etc.), a multitude of Japanese botanical plants (anemone, hosta...) and several species of shrubs (camellia, azalea, quince…). The Japanese garden is one of the 9 themed areas within the Edouard-Marie Heckel botanical garden, which is home to nearly 3,500 plant species.

Marseille and Japan, a long history:

The Autumn Festival is a unique opportunity to celebrate the relationship between the City of Marseille and the City of Kobe in Japan, two cities that have been twinned since 1961, or 65 years this year. It is one of the oldest twinning partnerships of the City of Marseille.

The themes shared through this cooperation are numerous: management of green spaces and urban planning, culture, port-related issues, new technologies, design, the environment, as well as urban engineering and heritage protection. The annual celebration of the Autumn Festival is one of the many Japanese cultural events organized in the Phocaean city. eille.