Islanders and guests are invited to spend Saturday on the grounds of the historic Mukai Farm and Garden for the Vashon Japan Festival.

The event, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will include Taiko drummers and Bon Odori dancers as well as Japanese food and drink, including a Japanese beer garden and mochi-pounding demonstrations. A children’s village with Japanese games and art projects will also be featured, along with speakers throughout the day and local artisans demonstrating and selling Japanese-inspired wares. There will also be a chance to learn about what is happening at the historic fruit processing plant and how community members can participate in planning for its future.

The Friends of Mukai, who are restoring and managing the farm and garden, are sponsoring the free event.

“We are offering it sincerely as a community event,” said Friends of Mukai President Kay Longhi. “That is why we are not charging, and we have no expectations of donations. It is just a way to bring anyone interested to the Mukai grounds and share a fun event with friends and neighbors,” she said.

The first owners of the home, B. D. and Kuni Mukai, held events there and were intent on being part of the broader Vashon community, she added.

“We are carrying on with (the home’s) history as a people-oriented place,” Longhi said.

Moreover, the Friends of Mukai hope that the event will help the island’s Japanese-American community coalesce. That process started with the planning for the current Heritage Museum exhibit, Joy and Heartache: Japanese Americans on Vashon, Longhi said. It was members of that group who first had the idea for a Japan Festival, and the Friends of Mukai wanted to support them in any way they could. The home and garden was a natural fit.

Finally, Longhi said, the friends group would like to attract Japanese Americans from off-island to help spread the word about the Mukai Farm & Garden.

The property, including the pond, has recently undergone a renovation, and Longhi noted that this event will be a good time for people to see the work done in the home and on the grounds. And it might not be the last such celebration.

“If there is a good turnout, it will be good encouragement for us to do it again next year,” she said.

The home is located at 18017 107th Ave. SW. For more information, see mukaifarmandgarden.org.