Get your brew on in Kansas City
Konnichiwa , Nebraska !
Japanese Ambience Festival
Get your brew on in Kansas City
What do barbecue , jazz music and craft beer have in common ? They ’ re all calling cards of Kansas City , Missouri .
Thanks to the Kansas City Tap Tour , groups can get their fill of the latter . Travelers can purchase a $ 5 guidebook with a list of the 11 participating breweries , location and hours for each , exclusive discounts offered , and suggested beers .
After collecting at least 5 stamps , beer-lovers can head to the Visit Kansas City center to claim an exclusive Kansas City Tap Tour-branded bottle opener . If they sample all 11 , they can claim a limited-edition Tap Tour t-shirt . Transportation for the tour is available through Barley Bus . For more information , see visitkc . com or contact Kelli Freeman with Kansas
City Group Tourism Bureau at kfreeman @ kcgta . com .
LAURITZEN GARDENS
Konnichiwa , Nebraska !
Visiting Omaha , Nebraska , in the autumn means celebrating longtime amity with its first-ever sister city during the Japanese Ambience Festival .
“ The event highlights the international friendship of Omaha and its sister city , Shizuoka ,” says Deborah Ward , vice president of marketing and communications with Visit Omaha . “ It also highlights the diversity of our city , as well as the beauty of Japanese culture .”
This year ’ s festival , which takes place Oct . 7 – 8 at Lauritzen Gardens , will include a chrysanthemum show , ikebana demonstrations ( the Japanese art of flower arrangement ), bonsai displays and guided garden walking tours , which connect festival-goers to the importance of the natural world .
Additional activities at past festivals have included calligraphy , koinobori ( carp-streamer kites ), taiko drumming , koto music , martial arts , displays of Hinamatsuri ( Japanese dolls ) and Kyudo demonstrations ( Japanese archery ). Local clubs and students have also performed traditional Japanese folk dancing , given fashion presentations and offered demonstrations of Go , the national game of Japan . Visitors can take part in the activities , all true to Japanese cultural practices .
For more information , contact Ward at dward @ visitomaha . com or see visitomaha . com .
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