For the 10th straight year, the San Diego Go Club brought strategy, smiles, and stones to the Japanese
Friendship Garden’s Cherry Blossom Festival — and the crowds loved it. Against a backdrop of blooming trees, cultural performances, and food stalls in Balboa Park’s stunning 1,200-acre sprawl, hundreds lined up to experience the beauty of Go.
The San Diego Go Club was invited for the tenth year in a row, by the San Diego Japanese Friendship Garden, to teach Go to entrants into the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival, held within the 12-acres of the JFG inside Balboa Park, has grown into a major 4-day event with ethnic entertainment every hour on Saturday and Sunday, many food vendors, and blossoming trees and flowers with hundreds of people queuing up at the entrance to pay $16 to enter.
Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre oasis (bigger than NYC's Central Park) next to downtown San Diego. It contains more than ten museums, the World Famous SD Zoo, a golf course, many gardens, swimming pools, the SD Chess Club (where SDGC plays its major tournaments), and miles of hiking trails through the canyons.
The group of Go volunteers included two authors of Go books published in the last year. Nationally-known author Jessie Janowitz came in from New York City with her new book "All the Ways to Go," a funny heart-felt youth novel. She sat on the floor to teach Go to some of the youngest passers-by. Her book tells the story of two young teens who, during a summer break in Princeton, NJ, learn Go and then teach the game at a summer camp. Jessie also spent part of a day making a presentation at the La Jolla Elementary School.
The other author was Jake Kim 3-dan, a high school student at the Bishops School. Jake's book, published in Korean and English, is "Gateway to Go." It is a beginner-friendly program designed to make learning Go accessible and enjoyable for everyone. With a simple, structured approach, the program offers five easy-to-follow lessons, providing both learners and aspiring mentors with the tools to quickly understand and teach the game.
Both books are available on Amazon.
The festival continues to blossom as a major recruiting ground for the SDGC, with past players starting at this very event and climbing all the way to 6-dan ranks.