Sakura Days Japan Fair

The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival‘s Sakura Days Japan Fair showcases Japanese food and cultural activities at VanDusen Botanical Garden in April.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the festival offered virtual activities in 2021. The fair returned with in-person events, however, on April 9th and 10th in 2022. Dates for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival as a whole this year are April 1st to 28th.

Japan Festival at VanDusen Garden

In 2020 the Sakura Days Japan Fair was going to occur on April 18th and 19th. However, the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 2021 events happened online. The Sakura Days Japan Fair was back again as a live event on the Saturday and Sunday of April 9th and 10th in 2022.

At the event each year there is traditional Japanese music, Japanese anime fans dressed in costume, and flower arranging, flute making and calligraphy workshops. There is also lots of traditional Japanese festival-style food including okonomiyaki (a kind of savory cabbage pancake), yakisoba (fried noodles) and other tasty treats.

If you plan to visit VanDusen Garden in the spring, during the Sakura Days Japan Fair is a great time to do it. The garden is still usually about a month away from its beautiful best, but the Japanese activities and entertainment are definitely worth seeing. And when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the place is very pretty.

It’s hard to predict when the cherry blossoms will be at their peak at VanDusen garden. Some years they are fully in bloom during the Sakura Days Japan Fair and other years they aren’t. It’s a bit hit and miss and depends on the weather each season. In 2022, however, the pink colours were amazing!

Spring Flowers at VanDusen Gardens

Sakura Days Admission

The cost for the Sakura Days Japan Fair depends on whether you have a membership with VanDusen Garden and if you buy your tickets at the door on the day or online in advance.

In 2022 admission prices to the event when purchased online in advance were the following:

Adults: $17.83
Seniors (ages 65+): $13.94
Youth (ages 13-18): $13.94
Children: (ages 4-12): $6.75
Little Kids: (ages 0-3): $6.75

For comparison, 2019 prices including taxes and online fees were the following (with additional fees applied to online purchases):

Adults: $12 in advance and $14 on the day
Seniors (ages 65+): $9.50 in advance and $11 on the day
Youth (ages 13-18): $9.50 in advance and $11 on the day
Children (ages 3-12): $4.25 in advance and $5 on the day

Children ages 2 and under were free in 2019. Members of VanDusen Garden paying at the door also got an additional discount.

Prices for the Sakura Days event are not a lot more than regular admission at VanDusen Garden, so it’s not unreasonable, especially if you like Japanese culture.

Note: Admission rates and other details are subject to change.