2023 Raffle Winners Announced

Congratulations to all of our raffle prize winners! Thank you so much to everyone for supporting our festival by purchasing tickets and thank you also to our wonderful sponsors and donors

2023 Queen & Court

2023 Queen & Court Announced

2023 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Queen and Court by Mark Shigenaga Left to right: Princess – Samantha Michiko Teshima First Princess – Kylie Katsuko Tamura Queen – Hannah KC Mukai Princess – Emily “Emi” Wagner Princess – Maya Isaka

2019 Scholarship Awards

2023 Winners of the Community Service Scholarship

2023 Marks the 35th year of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Community Service Scholarship. The program is for graduating seniors of Japanese descent. Administered by the SF Nikkei Lions, the program awards two $2,500 scholarships to deserving high school seniors going to college. This year’s recipients – Elyse Fujii and Monet Gagnon – have shown…

Kina Grannis, 2023 Grand Marshal

The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival is honored to announce Kina Grannis as our 2023 Grand Marshal. There will be opportunities to see her in the Grand Parade, experience her performance at the George Yamasaki, Jr. stage (Peace Plaza), and meet her at the Be The Match booth (Peace Plaza Promenade) on Sunday, April 16,…

2023 Senior Appreciation Honorees

For the past 36 years, the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival has thanked seniors in the local Japanese American community for their volunteer services. Each year, honorees are nominated by local community organizations. We are inspired by their stories and honor these community heroes. NORIKO KUSUMOTONominated by the San Mateo Japanese American Community Center (SMJACC)…

Meet the Artist: Brandt Fuse, 2023 Poster Designer

Sumofish artist and creator, Brandt Fuse, grew up in Hawaii with a love of fishing and anything ocean related. Studying abroad in Japan and working summers at Iconic t-shirt brand Cane Haul Road provided inspiration and life direction. Brandt relocated to the Bay Area in 1998, and after working at Osaki Design in Berkeley went…

2023 Co-Chairs - Matt Nagatomi and Quillan Rusky

Welcome from the 2023 Festival Co-Chairs

Welcome everyone, and thank you for attending the 56th Annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival.  It’s exciting to welcome everyone back again to our Festival for another year in person. Being able to bring together not only our community but all those who want to celebrate Japanese American and Japanese Culture with us is such…

Shogo Yamada

Remembering Shogo Yamada

The NCCBF Executive Committee writes this tribute for Shogo Yamada, our dear friend and supporter for many years, who passed away last March. Many festivalgoers remember Yamada-san for leading his spirited Japanese folk music group, YamaSho Kai, or dancing along to Awa Odori with San Francisco Awakko-Ren at the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival and…

Kanzami Yosakoi Dance Coalition at the 2019 Grand Parade at Civic Center Plaza

What Kizuna Means to Me ft. Kazanami Yosakoi Dance Showcase

The 54th annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival’s theme is Kizuna – Strength through Bonds of Community and Friendship. The 2021 Festival gave us the opportunity to celebrate the kizuna spirit with our Festival partners, cultural performers and exhibitors, nonprofit organizations, and community and corporate supporters. In lieu of the Grand Parade, the Festival’s Executive…

Kanzami Yosakoi Dance Coalition at the 2019 Grand Parade at Civic Center Plaza

Kazanami: A Blossoming Community of Yosakoi Dance

I’m Daniel Rolandi, Director of Ito Yosakoi, which is based in San Francisco Japantown, and I’m happy to write this blog post to share Kazanami’s history with the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival and our excitement to participate in the 2021 Festival. Since 2017, Ito Yosakoi (糸よさこい) has performed yosakoi, an energetic dance style from…