Baikasai coming this weekend!

Dear guests and patrons,

Kyoto Kagai Sim warmly invites you this weekend to celebrate Baikasai, the first plum blossom festival, in Second Life.

This centuries-old festival is traditionally held at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, a shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane. Michizane is remembered as a brilliant scholar and poet of the Heian period, later enshrined as Tenjin, the deity of learning. Plum blossoms are deeply connected to him — it is said he loved them dearly, and even today the shrine is famous for its early-blooming ume that signal the quiet arrival of spring.

In our Kyoto Kagai Sim, the festival will take place on the grounds of Kitano Tenmangu, beneath blooming plum trees that surround a special tent-like pavilion. Their soft colors and delicate branches create a peaceful atmosphere, echoing the beauty of early spring in Kyoto.

At the heart of Baikasai is the outdoor tea ceremony, known as nodate. In this open-air setting, guests are invited to slow down and appreciate the season through the simple yet refined art of tea. Skilled geiko and maiko from the Komayaka and Hanafusa okiyas of SL will perform the ceremony with grace and care, offering tea as a gesture of hospitality and seasonal celebration.

Baikasai is not only about blossoms — it is a moment to pause, to admire the ume in bloom, and to welcome the gentle shift from winter toward spring.

This year, the tea ceremony will be held twice — at 8 am SLT and 6 pm SLT — so that guests and patrons from different time zones may join and experience the first plum blossom festival together.

Date & Time: February 28th, 8 am SLT and 6 pm SLT

We look forward to welcoming you beneath the plum blossoms. 🌸