Wesley UMC’s 83rd Aki Matsuri Set for Oct. 3

SAN JOSE — Wesley United Methodist Church, 566 N. Fifth St. in San Jose Japantown, will hold its 83rd Aki Matsuri on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Come and celebrate the coming of the fall season at Wesley United Methodist Church’s annual Aki Matsuri festival. Experience a modern twist of a Japanese festival with new and traditional foods, a variety of entertainment and activities, and shopping.

Parking will be available at the Wesley Sixth Street parking lot, down Fifth Street center divider (between Jackson and East Empire), and the Sixth Street and Jackson parking lot.

Aki Matsuri is a blend of an old-fashioned church bazaar in a neighborly and family-friendly setting. Enjoy a colorful array of Japanese American cuisine in the Food Pavilion, where you can dine in or take out.

Throughout the day, experience a variety of entertainment across three stages featuring the city’s famous San Jose Taiko performers, and talented local youth and adults performing traditional and contemporary music and dance.

In the Marketplace, you will find beautiful handmade Asian crafts, one-of-a-kind-gifts, sundries, Japanese books, a silent auction, and an array of local fresh plants and flowers.

New to Aki Matsuri this year is the interactive Kids Zone. It includes a cultural experience through games, crafts, and entertainment focused on children, teens and the young at heart.

Wesley United Methodist Church was established over 120 years ago, and in the last 83 years, it has brought its unique cultural flavor to the Japantown neighborhood, the outlying community, and to the city of San Jose. It is reaching out and building community not only within its San Jose neighborhood, but across the Bay Area.

For more information, call (408) 295-0367 or visit www.wesleysj.net/AkiMatsuri.