Each year in late April, thousands of Danes gather at Copenhagen’s picturesque Langelinie Park to celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom season during the Copenhagen Sakura Festival.
Backed by the Japanese Embassy in Denmark, this vibrant two-day event is a celebration of Japanese culture, cuisine, and community.
Visitors can sample authentic Japanese food and drinks, watch performances, and explore a bustling market filled with kimonos, bonsai trees, Japanese literature, sake, sushi and of course Japanese tea.
In recent years, Japan has become an increasingly popular destination among Danes and interest in Japanese culture has flourished. The Sakura Festival offers the perfect opportunity for people to get a touch of Japanese culture – while enjoying the beauty of the cherry blossoms.
For the past three years, I have had the pleasure of representing the Danish-Japanese Society at the festival. The organization is dedicated to fostering cultural ties between Denmark and Japan, hosting Japan-themed events, often in collaboration with other like-minded groups such as the Japanese Gardens in Denmark, Ikebana Copenhagen and the Tokai University in Copenhagen. And this year, I had the pleasure of discussing Japanese tea with many of the festival participants.
Langelinie Park itself is a scenic gem, nestled along the Copenhagen harbourfront next to the Little Mermaid and Kastellet, a 17th-century star-shaped fortress commissioned by King Christian IV in 1624.
The park is home to 200 genuine Japanese cherry trees, a generous gift from Mr. Seiichi Takaki, President of the Hiroshima Andersen bakery chain. They were planted in 2005 in honor of Hans Christian Andersen’s 200th birthday – and to celebrate the connections between Denmark and Japan. Hiroshima Andersen was visited by her Majesty Queen Margrethe II in 1981 and by his Majesty King Frederik in 1987.
At the Sakura Festival this year, our booth was located next to Japan Specialist, a travel agency that annually helps thousands of Danes discover Japan – and helps Japanese visitors explore Denmark.
During the sunny Sunday I talked with some of their staff members, which led to an invitation to come and speak at one of their events the following week.
The Japan Specialist event took place the following Monday evening at their office in Central Copenhagen with 25–30 participants. Japan Specialist started out with an inspiring presentation about Japan’s travel destinations and the rich experiences that await visitors.
With Japanese tourism booming, they are now expanding into off-the-beaten-track adventures – organizing hiking trips, cycling tours and car rentals beyond the major cities.
I followed with a talk on Japanese tea – from the tea regions and cultivation techniques to the types of Japanese tea and where you as a tourist can experience Japanese tea firsthand while traveling in Japan.
The audience was engaged and curious, and several attendees approached me afterward for more information about Japanese Tea. Simona had just a few days before provided me with a set of Global Japanese Tea Association flyers and they came in handy now.
It was a delightful and rewarding evening – and we agreed to stay in touch for future events.
Text and images by our Tea Catalyst Steen Pipper. You can follow Steen here.
To learn more about the Copenhagen Sakura Festival and the places and names mentioned in the article please take a look at the below links:
- Copenhagen Sakura Festival: https://sakurafestival.dk/
- Dansk-Japansk Selskab: https://www.dansk-japanskselskab.dk/english.html
- Hiroshima Andersen: https://www.andersen.co.jp/hiroshima/english/about/history/
- Japan Specialist: https://japanspecialist.com/
- Langelinie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langelinie
- Kastellet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kastellet,_Copenhagen