2026 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival Kick-off Night: Zenyasai Concert

Tickets $20 online, $25 at the door

Children's ticket is $10 (under 17 years old)

After 5:30pm on the day of the show, only door tickets will be available.

Doors at 6:30pm

A Night of Cultural Harmony at The Fallser Club

For the fourth year, the opening ceremony for the 2025 Cherry Blossom Festival will be held at The Fallser Club.

Join us for an evening of music, culture, and artistic collaboration at the Fallser Club, featuring a diverse lineup of performers blending Japanese tradition, folk, dance, and classical music, and great food!!!

This event promises a truly immersive and unforgettable experience, celebrating the power of music to bridge cultures and inspire audiences.

Delicious Food from Two Vendors

Guilty Good Pastries

https://www.instagram.com/guiltygoodpastries/

Moheji

https://www.instagram.com/moheji_onigiri/

Keystone Japan Club

The Keystone Japan Club is a group of passionate local students, International students from various countries, teachers, and residents who love Japanese cultures in Philadelphia. They regularly practice and showcase Japanese dances and songs, with a mission to help make Philadelphia one of the most culturally rich cities in the nation. They are "keystone" in connecting Japan and the United States through exchanges of language and culture.

Performance（Chorus and Dance)

The chorus of traditional Japanese songs such as "Sakura" will bring spring flowers to everyone's hearts. The traditional Japanese festival dance "Soran Bushi," depicting fishermen praying for a good catch, will also bring health and good fortune through dynamic dancing and chants.

Casual Fifth

Casual Fifth is a Philadelphia-based Taiko and Modern Dance ensemble focused on creating innovative work rooted in the fundamentals and history of Japanese Taiko drumming and American modern dance.

Casual Fifth is the joint venture of Alex Pfister, Mac Evans and the friends, mentors, and mentees they've made along the way.

Musical Duet: Kosaburo and Chōichie

Amane Sakaguchi (stage name: Kosaburo)

Born as the eldest daughter of Kineya Katsusaburō VIII, head of the esteemed Kinekatsu School, the foremost nagauta lineage, Amane inherited a deep artistic heritage from an early age. She began studying nagauta at three, piano at four, and shamisen at six, marking the start of an extraordinary musical journey. At fourteen, she made her stage debut, and at twenty, was formally inaugurated as “Kineya Kosaburō.” A graduate of Geidai, Japan’s most prestigious institution for the performing arts, she completed her studies at the top of her class and received both the Acanthus Music Prize and the Ryohei Miyata Scholarship. Her artistry bridges centuries and genres, ranging from compositions for major national cultural programs and acclaimed productions such as Touken Ranbu, to collaborations with leading contemporary musicians including BREIMEN and Snow Man. In 2024, she became the first Japanese composer accepted into the Master’s Program in Composition at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she is creating a new work for shamisen and viola, jointly commissioned by Curtis and the Library of Congress, which premiered to critical acclaim in Washington, D.C. in autumn 2025.

https://www.kineyakosaburo.com/

https://www.instagram.com/amane_kosaburo

Chie Mitsui (stage name: Chōichie)

Chie’s lifelong devotion to the Japanese performing arts began in early childhood, when she was immersed in traditional dance before discovering nagauta music in her school years. A graduate of Geidai, Japan’s top performing arts conservatory, Chie completed her studies at the top of her class, and has since built a distinguished career as a performer and cultural innovator. Her artistry spans media and stage alike, contributing to the acclaimed One Piece: Wano Country Arc and various television dramas, while gracing the stage of the prestigious Kabukiza Theatre and other renowned venues. Beyond concert halls, she brings nagauta to temples and historic landmarks, illuminating its contemporary vitality and reimagining the classical form as a living art that resonates powerfully in the present.

https://www.instagram.com/chouichie_imafuji/

Master Takaharu Fukuzawa with Yasuyo Fukuzawa

Master Takaharu Fukuzawa

Takaharu Fukuzawa

1996年 Koden Enshinryu Grandmaster (Soke) FUMON TANAKA  

License All Biography Master　(Menkyo Kaiden Shihan)
Honmon Enshin-ryu
Master of Iai sword-cutting techniques (Iai-suemono-giri-kenpō)
Heir of Ōdachi sword-drawing techniques (Ōdachi battōjutsu)
Licensed instructor of Tenshin Hyōhō Sōden Kukishin-ryu

• Master Fukuzawa is trained and licensed in multiple traditional lineages.

• These are highly respected schools that preserve ancient sword and battlefield techniques.

• "Menkyō kaiden" means full transmission or mastery of a tradition.

• Kukishin-ryu, for example, is known for its warrior strategy and weapon systems.

• Kobudō represents Japan's martial traditions before modernization.

• These arts were practiced by warriors in feudal Japan and are preserved for historical, cultural, and martial understanding. Some date back over 1,200 years.

Yasuyo Fukuzawa

Yasuyo became a student of Deguchi Korei, Gagaku musician at Kasuga Taisha Shrine, Ryuteki, Shinobue player, music composer, in 2000. She performed shinobue, The Gathering of Japanese Music, in Yawata City, Kyoto. She has also performed with traditional Japanese musicians for many years. 

AD Vibe

AD Vibe is a cello and piano ensemble founded in spring 2025. The duo features 11-year-old Daniel Sumoro and 12-year-old Antonia Sun. Daniel is also the pianist with the Philadelphia Youth Concert Band, and Antonia is a cellist with the Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra.

Duet: The Bridal Doll (by Hanayome Ningyo, arranged by Hadi Sumoro)

Kikashima

Kikashima, a Californian Japanese-Mexican musical powerhouse, is made of equal parts legacy and rebellion. Based in Philadelphia, Kikashima has been featured on WXPN's Key Studio Sessions and NPR's Tiny Desk Contest On The Road.

Kikashima will weave stories of her family’s history in the Japanese internment camps during WWII with original songs, depicting the legacy living in a politicized body and creating and healing the relationship to oneself through music.

Running Away Spotify Link

IG: @kikashimamusic

Website: kikashimamusic.com

YouTube: YouTube.com/@kikashimamusic

The University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra

The University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, established in 1878, has long been a vital part of Penn’s musical community. Comprised primarily of non-music majors, the ensemble brings together students from across the university to explore a diverse orchestral repertoire spanning the 18th to 20th centuries.

The Penn Symphony Orchestra will be bringing music from Joe Hisaishi, Michio Miyagi, and Takashi Yoshimatsu. Featured musicians include Elliot Kim (violin/conducting), Janna Oh (violin), Darae Kang (violin), Doyoon Seol (violin), Nihar Ballamudi (viola), Andrew (cello), Edy Huang (cello), Kyunghwan Lim (clarinet), and Justin Duong (viola/piano), who bring a wealth of experience and are eager to share their passion for music and culture with the audience today.

The University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra’s Social:
https://music.sas.upenn.edu/ensembles/penn-symphony-orchestra
Instagram

10% off  Taqueria Cresta with your Fallser Club ticket!!

By Car or By Train

The East Falls Train Station is a short walk from the Fallser Club. Parking in East Falls is no problem! There is ample free on-street parking near the East Falls train station driveway at 3610 Midvale Ave and a paid municipal lot three blocks away at 4100 Ridge Ave.  Midvale Ave and Ridge Ave are both well-lit!