What's On in Sakurai, Minoh April 2026

 It's April, and the Sakura season has passed the halfway point. It's also looking like a busy month around Minoh. It's a bit expo heavy, but here goes.

※ Disclaimer: I'm expanding the area this covers to include Banpaku/Expo park, because although not technically Minoh, it's still close by

March 27th~ April 8th - Tulip & Sakura Festival @ Expo Park

Expo park, which is recognized as one of the top 100 places in Japan to enjoy Sakura, is hosting a Tulip festival. The tulips are located in the center of the park, to the north west of the tower of the sun.

In addition, there are a variety of food stalls set up, labelled as the "Sakura Festival".  

I actually visited this and can personally recommend it. The park is a good place for a picnic, and the food stalls looked good for those who don't want to bring their own food.






April 1st~June 16th - Dolpo Exhibition at the National Museum of Ethnology (In Expo Park)


An exhibition of photography and materials from the high-altitude Dolpo region of Nepal. I don't know a lot about Nepal (apart from the language is really hard), and this is not a region I'd heard of before. I'd be interested to learn about it!


April 5th~April 12th - Wild Mountain Plant & Flower Exhibition (also Expo Park)

Another exciting opportunity for nature-heads and botany enthusiasts.


April 11th~12th - Tableware Market & 13th Annual Curry Expo (yet again, Expo Park)


This will be the inaugural tableware market at Expo Park, and will gather designers of plates, bowls and everything else from all over Japan. With the curry expo, also bringing together a multitude of curry stalls, you'll be set for food. Although the curry will most likely be served in plastic bowls, if you do make a purchase at the tableware market it could be a good chance to immediately test that out.



April 11th, 25th - Soba Noodle Making Experience

This is a chance to make your own soba from scratch! You'll need to bring:
  1.  an apron
  2. a container for taking home your noodles (will be 5~6 servings worth)
  3. a hand towel or flannel
  4. 2 extra cloths/small towels
  5. a bandana or triangular cloth that can be folded into a bandana shape
This should be really interesting, and great for foodies. You will also have the chance to cook the noodles you make, and compare them to those made by the teacher. Each session lasts 90 minutes. 

April 15th~19th - Art Exhibition: Asai Soushi @ Gallery Time

An exhibition from the 23 year old copperplate print artist. The title of this exhibition is "Lotus Flower". It will be interesting to see what this entails, as the lotus is connected to many things in Japan; resilience, beauty, the Nichi Renshu branch of Japanese Buddhism, and not to forget lotus root tempura.



April 18th - Mystic Trio Spring Performance @ Ikeda castle park


An improvised performance of dance, trumpet, gongs and percussion - this is sure to be a unique experience. The trio will tell a story through their art, utilizing the setting of Ikeda castle ruins.
There will be two performances, one at 3pm and the second at 4pm. Since it will be an outdoor event, in the case of rain, it will be postponed to the 28th





April 19th - Indonesian Wayang Kulit Performance 

This is an exciting opportunity to experience Javanese culture, right here in Sakurai. I attended a gamelan performance by the same group last year in December, and it was an enchanting experience. Not to be missed, but enquire fast, as tickets are likely to sell out.


April 20th - Kintsugi Experience

For anyone not famillar with Kintsugi, it's the Japanese craft of mending broken plates and bowls, by sticking fragments back together with molten gold. You can learn about Kintsugi on Youtube, etc.
  • Location: Sakurai Ichiba World Dining & Bar
  • Price: 4500円 ※ + 500 yen for materials, unless you bring your own broken dish to mend.
  • Contact: 050-7121-1195 / https://www.instagram.com/sakurai.world.dining/ 


The teacher has 17 years of experience as a kintsugi professional, and regularly mends pieces for antiques shops. She is also very friendly and approchable, making this a firmly fun as well as cultural and artistic experience. 

 

 April 26th - Senshin High School Wind Band Performance @ Q's Mall

A free concert at the outside wide open space in Q's mall, put on by a local high school's wind band. Should brighten up a trip to the mall! This mall has real "shops by the creek" energy, with the mountain backdrop and river running through the middle. You can get to Minoh Q's mall by taking the red line on the MRT (Midosuji) to the end station, Minoh Kayano. 


April 26th~May 5th - Art Exhibition: Sasayaku Mori @ Contemporary Art Gallery Zone



April 29th - Student's Rakugo Performance & Lunch

Enjoy some authentic Japanese Rakugo, brought to you by students from Osaka University.
Lunch also included!






So there's a lot on in Minoh and the surrounding area this April - this hasn't covered everything, but I think it's some good hilights.
If you have any questions about any of them, feel free to leave a comment!
 

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