For more than 40 years, the Missouri Botanical Garden has produced this annual festival in conjunction with the Japanese Activities Committee, a coalition of several Japanese-American organizations that provide art, dance, food and entertainment for thousands of visitors each year.

This year, the Garden will welcome Kanariya Eiraku, an expert in the Japanese art of lone storytelling known as rakugo. Seated alone and with minimal props, Eiraku will show the audience how to weave masterfully comedic tales with multiple characters using only simple movements and voice changes.