Stir is a digital media organization dedicated to covering Vancouver’s arts and culture scene through independent journalism.

Welcome to Stir.

Stir is a digital magazine that puts Vancouver and the surrounding area’s arts and culture at centre stage. We're devoting an entire platform to independent arts journalism and to telling the creative scene’s compelling stories —stories that we’re excited to share.

Join us, and let's create a stir.

MEET OUR PARTNERS

SPRING GUIDE

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 things to know about Sakura Days Japan Fair 2025

The anchor program of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival features everything from sake tastings to taiko demonstrations

By Gail Johnson

Sakura Days Japan Fair. Photo by Barry Yip

Sakura Days Japan Fair takes place on April 12 and 13 at VanDusen Botanical Garden as part of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

A HIGHLIGHT OF the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Sakura Days Japan Fair is happening April 12 and 13 at VanDusen Botanical Garden (from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday). Created in collaboration with the Japan Fair Association of Vancouver, the cultural celebration features a whole host of activities and highlights. Here are five things to know before you go.

The yukata fitting service is back

Yukata is the name of the Japanese summer kimono, and festival attendees can take advantage of a complimentary fitting service. Guests are allowed to roam the garden while wearing the yukata for 20 minutes, as the quantity of available yukata is limited.

Traditional tea ceremonies are on offer

Tea-ceremony demonstrations will be offered by Urasenke Tankokai Vancouver Association, which promotes the traditional practice and belongs to the Urasenke School of Tea Ceremony based in Kyoto, Japan.

Authentic Japanese cuisine will be available for tasting

Sakura Days is a chance to get a taste of traditional Japanese cuisine. Among the items being served are yakisoba, stir-fried noodles with vegetables, meat, and a thick, sweetish sauce; takoyaki, a popular street food of small, piping hot balls of batter filled with green onions, ginger, crispy tempura bits, and octopus; matcha, a type of green tea in the form of a powder that is dissolved in hot water or milk; strawberry daifuku, a sweet that consists of a pillowy white mochi filled with red-bean paste that encases a whole juicy strawberry; and more.

Premium sake will be available for sipping

Made from fermented rice that has been polished, sake has an alcohol content of around 15 percent. Its flavour profiles are relatively mild, ranging from light and crisp to more substantial, richer, fruity notes.

Several performances will take place

Japanese dance, karate, singing, taiko drumming, and more will be on offer all weekend across two stages. Cherry Stage highlights include Appare Yosakoi Vancouver performing a style of dance that incorporates wooden instruments called naruko; youth ensemble GO Taiko; Hawaiian hula group Wailele Wai Wai; and BOYiSH7, dancers that cosplay as anime idol boys.

Featured

Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

Articles

Film reviews: From claustrophobic horror to kayaking calamity, VSFF delivers big impact with small format

At the 15th annual event, here are six titles festival director Duncan Carr calls “a full experience in the briefest amount of time”

Stir Q&A: Me + Her writer-star Michelle Addison talks motherhood and letting go

In new film at Vancouver Short Film Festival, the well-known influencer and stylist digs movingly into what it means to raise a teen girl these days

World premiere of long-lost Soviet-era symphony among 2025 PRISMA Festival highlights, June 16 to 28

Arthur Arnold conducts Alexander Mosolov’s Symphony No. 3, a brooding yet joyful work with a storied history

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 performers and painters to seek out among the flowers and trees at Arts in the Garden

This final edition of North Van Arts’ long-running annual event features engaging music and glowing images, all in serene outdoor settings

Stir Q&A: Tushrik Fredericks and Rebecca Margolick talk trust and spirituality at Dancing on the Edge

Intimate duet to begin with no end explores the artists’ respective religions with care and intensity

Artist studios and sacred spaces among the stops at this year’s Doors Open Richmond

The 18th annual edition of the wide-ranging event builds thriving community by emphasizing historical and cultural diversity

Night Owl bridges sound and storytelling at the Queer Arts Festival, June 8

Dutch accordionist Erica Roozendaal explores themes of abuse and childhood instability in her heartfelt solo performance

Luminarium's glow-in-the-dark juggling lights up the Vancouver International Children’s Festival, May 27 to June 1

All-ages show by Cause & Effect Circus incorporates high-level skills, inventive lighting, and fun sound effects

Tremors Festival artists crack open the mystery of dreams, both conscious and unconscious

Howard Dai’s Dream Machine pulls inspiration from Taiwanese game shows, while Paige Louter’s Nod acknowledges chronic fatigue

Stir Q&A: Srutika Sabu embodies a South Asian uncle in drag-king clown show at the rEvolver Festival

1 Santosh Santosh 2 Go touches on the model minority myth with hilarity and heart

More than 60 artists to perform on West 4th Avenue as Khatsahlano Street Party announces 2025 lineup

Alt-rock band Meltt, D.O.A. frontman Joe Keithley, and singer-songwriter Ché Aimee Dorval are among the Burrard Stage highlights

Toby Thompson's poetry takes jazz-infused solo at the Vancouver International Children’s Festival

In renowned one-man show I Wish I Was a Mountain, the award-winning British poet leans on rhythm of deep musical influences

Emerging artists shine onstage at this year's Cascade Peaks ChamberFest, June 20 to 22

Three concerts at RockRidge Canyon resort in Princeton highlight chamber works prepared by the artists during a week-long intensive

Club Origami's folded paper allows kids' imaginations to flourish at Vancouver International Children’s Festival

Presented with Boca del Lupo, the accessible production by the U.K.’s Seven Circles encourages interactive learning

Kicking off Tremors Festival, Erin James infuses music with her passion for fashion

The violinist’s Fantasy Vignettes interweaves Baroque music, costume changes, and sewing machines

Bard on the Beach presents The Two Gentlemen of Verona, June 13 to September 19

On the BMO Mainstage, director Dean Paul Gibson puts an ’80s spin on this resonant tale of young love

Queer Arts Festival steps into the future with 18th annual edition, June 6 to 28

Centred around portals, this year’s just-announced lineup includes several visual-art exhibitions, Vancouver International Jazz Festival concerts, and more