Doors at 2:30pm. Show at 3pm. 

Based on the children’s picture book Naomi’s Tree by Joy Kogawa, this stage performance uses music, dance, and spoken word to tell the story of Naomi, a Japanese Canadian girl who loses her mother in the atomic bombing of World War II. 

A young couple leaves Japan for Canada, bringing a cherry seed. Over the years, the cherry tree watches as the couple’s family grows. Young Naomi befriends the tree, playing under its branches. When war breaks out, the family is sent to an internment camp, leaving the tree behind. Though Naomi dreams of returning, the dream fades over time. Based on the World War II story of Naomi’s Road, Naomi’s Tree is a poetic tale of enduring love and its mystical power to heal.

KARAKORO is a community arts group from Osaka, Japan, that performs in Japan and internationally. Artistic director Yoko Matsui has interpreted a number of children’s stories over the years and the group performed an earlier version of Naomi’s Tree in Toronto in August 2024.