Halloween Celebration, The Yokai Masquerade

The Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum is hosting The Yokai Masquerade on Saturday, October 31, from 6 PM to 10 PM. It's their Halloween celebration, an evening of artistic wonder and festive programming inspired by the storied spirits of Japanese folklore. They encourage guests to arrive in costume, and the night is built around two very different speeds: the intimacy of after-hours exhibit viewing and the grandeur of the yokai parade.

If you've never spent much time there, the garden itself is a good place to start. It stands as an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama, and opened as a new concept in the development of a Japanese garden outside of Japan. It's well known for its stone arrangement, Koi pond, exhibit house, and ornamental tree collection. Beyond the garden, the museum runs seminars, classes, workshops, and accredited horticultural classes, so there's a fair amount of education happening behind the scenes.

That's where the folklore part comes in. Yokai are the supernatural monsters and spirits that populate Japanese myths, and the whole evening is built around them. The after-hours exhibit viewing lets you wander through the museum when it's usually closed, and the yokai parade brings those folklore figures out into the open. Between the two, you've got a night that moves from quiet, close-up looking to a full-on procession.

Tickets run from $45 to $60, and the whole thing goes from 6 PM to 10 PM on Halloween night at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum, 2215 Pan American Rd. E, San Diego, CA 92101.