Japanese Artisan and Cultural Festival in Huntington Beach
Important Update: Please note that the date of this event has been amended from an initial flyer handed out earlier this year.
The current dates are October 18th and the 19th.
Craft Fair and Japan Festival in Huntington Beach City
The Hidden Japan will be hosting a special Japanese Festival in Los Angeles, California in collaboration with Tsubamesanjo City, Miyagi Prefecture and Huntington Beach on October 17th, 18th, and 19th in 2025.
Tsubamesanjo is one of the heartlands for artisans in Japan that produces over 95% of the domestic kitchenware in Japan and is home to many of Japan’s most famous manufacturing companies and artisans.
Miyagi Prefecture from Northern Japan will also be featuring a photo exhibition and crafts from its many artisans including indigo dyed products of by artisans who are descendants of a living national treasure recognized by the Japanese government.
Artisans from these regions of Japan will be bringing a large range of crafts to Huntington Beach for this special 3 day event with many products not sold in America. This will be an excellent chance to pick up crafts and talk with the artisans who made them directly. In addition to the craft fair, the Huntington Beach Central Library will also be hosting a variety of cultural workshops and demonstrations, from taiko drummers and martial arts demonstrations to ikebana flower arranging , tea ceremony, and folk art demonstrations.
This event will also be held in cooperation with the Huntington Beach Sister City Association. Proceeds from the sales of this event will go towards helping to fund Huntington Beach City’s sister city relationships and international exchange.
Quick Information
Venue
The artisan fair and cultural workshops will be held at the Huntington Beach Library in the event rooms C and D.
The martial arts and taiko performances will be held in the theater room.
Time and Dates
Artisan Fair
10am to 5:00pm
October 18th and 19th 2025 (Saturday and Sunday)
Free Admission
Note that the Artisan fair will have a short opening on October 17th from 1:00pm to 5:00pm.
Martial Arts and Cultural Performances
10am to 5:00pm
October 19th (Sunday)
Free Admission
Please note that the live performances by the martial artists and taiko drummers will only be there on the 19th.
Cultural Workshops
10am to 5:00pm
October 18th and 19th (Sunday)
Free Participation
Main Event: Artisan and Craft Fair
The main part of the Japan Festival in Huntington Beach will be a special artisan fair in rooms C and D.
This will include a wide range of crafts and works of art ranging from kitchen knives to Japanese indigo dyed silk scarfs.
This will be a rare chance to meet master craftsmen from Niigata and Miyagi and browse a selection of products brought specially from Niigata to Huntington Beach City for this event. These artisans will also be hosting a variety of demonstrations on how to use their tools and crafts as well as to be on hand to help answer any questions you may have.
We will also be hosting a photo exhibition of Miyagi Prefecture in Northern Japan with photos by Los Angeles-based photographer Elena Dorfman throughout the 2 days of the fair.
Market hours:
10:00am to 5:00pm on October 18th and 19th (Saturday and Sunday)
Sub Events: Workshops with the Artisans (October 18th and 19th)
The artisans from Tsubamesanjo will also be hosting a series of workshops that will be announced later.
Tea Ceremony: Try your hand at whisking your own matcha tea with a tea master in tea ceremony experiences held throughout the day. You will be able to sift matcha through special tools from Niigata that make the tea finer and more aromatic.
Sessions will be held at 11am, 1pm, and 3pmZen Meditation with Gravimorph: Try a short zen meditation session with the soothing sound of Gravimophs special zen crafts that create a unique and calming experience.
Sessions will be held at 11am, 1pm, and 3pmIkebana: Learn the art of arranging natural flowers and plants into works of art with a local master in this special experience.
Sessions to be announcedJapan Tour Planning: The Hidden Japan team will have a booth at the crafts fair on both days of the event and will be selling tour packages to Tsubamesanjo and Niigata Prefecture. We will also be on hand to advise on other forms of travel to Japan and offer full service tour planning for your trip around Japan.
Note that we will also be selling a wide selection of Japanese knives as well.
Time: 11:00am to 5:00pm on both days
Free: About 10 minutes per session
Live Performances at the Theater (October 19th only)
We will also be hosting a series of live performances throughout October 19th in the theater of the Library right next to the event rooms.
This will include performances by local kendo, taiko drum, aikido martial arts, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Yokoyama Drums, and more.
Please check back for exact times of these performances as we coordinate with the many groups.
Performance Hours:
10:00am to 4:00pm
