Teck's Treehouse: Violet Evergarden x Garden Museum Hiei: A tale of flowers and letters

A collaboration titled "Violet Evergarden x Garden Museum Hiei: A tale of flowers and letters" was announced between the Violet Evergarden franchise and Garden Museum Hiei.

(Official announcement on Violet Evergarden website and the museum's website)

This collaboration will take place from May 3 to July 10, 2022.

The key visual for this collaboration was created by Kyoto Animation, with Violet Evergarden drawn in an impressionist style. Besides Violet, there will also be illustrations of Gilbert, Hodgins, Cattleya, and Benedict.

In addition, during this period, the entrance ticket (2,000 yen including taxes) will come with special Violet Evergarden merchandise. There will be three series, with the first series starting on May 3 till late May, when bromides of the line drawings for the five characters will be given out. The second series will be from late May till mid June, and the third series from mid June till the end of the collaboration on July 10. The merchandise for the second and third series will be announced at a later day.

The cafe at the museum will also be selling butterfly pea tea in an original Violet Evergarden water bottle, for 1,800 yen including taxes.

The theater beside the gift shop will feature an introduction of the museum, voiced by Violet's voice actor Ishikawa Yui. There is also plan to have a recording introducing the facilities playing at the car park.

The gallery "soRa" will feature standing panels of scenes from the Violet Evergarden anime series.

Starting from late May, original merchandise featuring Violet and other characters will also be sold.

From mid May, there will also be panels in the gardens introducing flowers related to the names of characters (Violet, Gilbert, Hodgins, Cattleya, and Benedict) as well as other seasonal flowers.

(Images taken from Garden Museum Hiei's official website, unless otherwise stated)

(Source: Violet Evergarden official website)

Garden Museum Hiei's website is mainly in Japanese, but you can get some directions in English here (not a lot, but better than nothing).

My thoughts on how this event is being organized can be found here. (Note: not a positive post)

Update May 6, 2022: The stamp book is out of stock as of May 4, 2022, and the water bottle out of stock on May 5, 2022. I hope the organizers consider selling the merchandise online too since not many people can actually visit Garden Museum Hiei as it is quite an excursion to go there (not just in terms of money, but also time). Also, the set of five line drawings that will come with the entrance ticket is expected to be out of stock by today. The organizers have said that they will send a set to all visitors if it goes out of stock (I guess they are printing more right now...) until the next series is launched. Guess they didn't expect this superb turnout by fans... 😅 Don't underestimate Violet Evergarden fans!

Update May 11, 2022: The set of five line drawings that comes with the entrance ticket is back in stock, and those who visited between May 6 to 11 and have given their addresses will be sent a copy soon.

Update May 13, 2022: The water bottle is out of stock but will be restocked from May 14, 2022. Same with the stampbook, which will be restocked from May 14. Plus they will start selling A3 cloth posters too. There are four designs and each visitor is limited to buying only one per design (so that is a maximum of four posters, one for each design).

Update May 17, 2022: The A3 cloth posters are out of stock as of today. Also, from May 20 onward, there will be standing displays with illustrations of the five characters (Violet, Gilbert, Hodgins, Benedict, and Cattleya) put up in the garden. Merchandise based on these illustrations (drawn for this event) will be available for sale toward the end of May (my guess is starting from May 28).

Update May 18, 2022: A3 cloth posters back in stock. But stamp book out of stock again.

Update May 20, 2022: This is how the standing displays look like.

There are five of them: Violet, Gilbert, Hodgins, Benedict, and Cattleya. Also, the stamp book is back in stock and will be sold again at the garden store from May 21, 2022.

Update May 24, 2022: The stamp book is out of stock again.

Update May 25, 2022: The next round of entrance ticket gift has just been announced. It will be a tabletop folding screen, and comes when you purchase the premium entrance ticket from May 28, 2022 onwards.

The set of five illustration cards will end on May 27, 2022.

Update May 26, 2022: Next round of merchandise announced. There will be clear files, total of six designs, that will be available from May 28, 2022.

Also being launched on the same date are ballpoint pens, six designs too.

It seems Garden Museum Hiei is releasing new merchandise every two weeks on Saturdays. Looking forward to the next round of announcements! 😍

Update May 27, 2022: Wow, another set of merchandise announced today, which will go on sale tomorrow (May 28, 2022).

Set of five different coins. Guess they are really squeezing that set of five illustrations dry... Anyway, the coins will be sold through a vending machine in the garden museum's gift shop. The stamp book will also be back in stock on May 28, 2022. And for the clear files and pens, they are limiting to one per person. 😢 This means they expect someone to visit the garden at least six times to collect a set... 🤷

Update May 28, 2022: Coins are out of stock on the day they were released.

Update May 30, 2022: The clear file with the key visual (the one with Violet standing at the entrance of the garden walkway) is out of stock. Also, the two A3 landscape posters (bougainvillea and Violet under blue sky) are out of stock too. This announcement was made in the morning, just before the garden opened. Also, coins will be back in stock on June 3, 2022. A3 cloth posters with the six illustrations drawn for this event will also go on sale from June 4, 2022.

(They will be sold out quite fast, because there is a KyoAni event that weekend...)

Update June 3, 2022: The two A3 landscape posters (bougainvillea and Violet under blue sky) will be back in stock on June 4, 2022. The clear file with the key visual (the one with Violet standing at the entrance of the garden walkway) will be back in stock on June 5, 2022. Meanwhile, one of A3 portrait posters (Violet in front of window) is out of stock.

Update June 4, 2022: The two A3 landscape posters (bougainvillea and Violet under blue sky) are out of stock again, after being restocked this morning. Well, guess you can't blame them, there is a KyoAni event today in at Uji (Sound! Euphonium festival) and many fans probably went to visit the garden before the festival.

Update June 7, 2022: The A3 cloth posters (Violet in front of window, Violet on grass, Violet with bougainvillea, and Violet under blue sky) are out of stock as of today. Also, from June 11, there will be pots of fake flowers with character illustrations on sale too!

Besides Violet (which is not a violet flower... I don't know why too), there will be Gilbert, Cattleya, Hodgins, and Benedict.

Update June 8, 2022:A tote bag featuring the key illustration for this collaboration will go on sale at the garden from June 11, 2022.

Also, for those driving to Garden Hiei Museum, starting June 11, 2022, a recording by Violet's voice actor Ishikawa Yui introducing the garden can be enjoyed on FM radio on 89.1 MHz at the garden's car park. The recording will not be available on Internet radio, though.

Update June 9, 2022: A new merch was announced today. Phone holder with the key visual for this collaboration.

It will be available from June 11, 2022 onward. Same as the tote bag and fake flowers. I think we can expect an announcement on the entrance gift soon too.

Update June 10, 2022: The A3 cloth posters (Violet in front of window, Violet with bougainvillea, and Violet under blue sky) will be back in stock from June 11, 2022. The best news is that the garden has announced that the merchandise being sold at this collaboration event will be available for sale online (production by order) with details to be announced at a later date. 😍

Update June 12, 2022: The stamp book is out of stock again.

Update June 13, 2022: Violet Evergarden metallic card souvenir (gold or silver) will be available as part of the premium entrance fee to Garden Museum Hiei from June 18, 2022.

For 2,000 yen, you get one of the cards (at random), or you can pay 2,800 yen to get both of them. Price is inclusive of the normal entrance fee for the garden.

Update June 17, 2022: Stamp book and A3 cloth poster (Violet on grass) will be back in stock on June 18, 2022.

Update June 19, 2022: The A3 landscape cloth poster (bougainvillea) and A3 cloth poster (key visual for the event) are out of stock.

Update June 22, 2022: The various A3 cloth posters will be restocked on June 25, 2022.

Update June 27, 2022: The garden announced that the fake Violet flowers will change to one with yellow petals.

The event itself is coming to an end soon, and I have yet to have the opportunity to actually visit. 😢

Update July 1, 2022: Violet Evergarden metallic card souvenir (gold or silver) will likely be out of stock tomorrow. However, up until the last day of the event (July 10, 2022), visitors can pay for the souvenir in advance and fill in a form at the entrance. Once the souvenirs are available, the garden will send it/them to you. (Although I think it is implied that you need to be staying in Japan...)

Update July 2, 2022: The campaign's key visual ballpen is out of stock. The garden will not be restocking any ballpens during the event but they will be made available for online sale at a later date.

Update July 4, 2022: The fake flowers (Violet and Gilbert) are low on stock. I just hope the garden starts selling the merch online once the event is over on July 10, 2022.

Update July 5, 2022: The fake Violet flowers are out of stock and will be restocked on July 8, 2022. That's the final weekend before the event ends so they are hoping there will be a final rush of visitors.

Update July 8, 2022: The final round of new merch was announced today. Following the phone holder with the key visual for this collaboration, due to its popularity, there will be phone holders of the other five illustrations (of the characters).

The new phone holders will go on sale at the garden from July 9, 2022 and will be available for purchase online subsequently. The Violet and Gilbert fake flowers are also back in stock. The metallic card souvenir (gold or silver) is also back in stock.

Update July 8, 2022: The Violet and Gilbert fake flowers are out of stock again, just after being restocked yesterday.

Update July 10, 2022: Violet Evergarden event at Garden Museum Hiei has ended as of 8 p.m. but the event's merch and water bottle will continue to be sold at the garden while stocks last.

Update August 12, 2022: It was announced that the merch will be available for purchase online from August 14 to September 16, 2022 through e-kenet. The link to the products (42 of them) is here. Delivery is only within Japan, and products will be made on-demand with delivery scheduled in November 2022. If you are living outside Japan, you may need to use a forwarding service.

Update August 14, 2022: It seems that e-kenet is experiencing a flood of connections and it can be hard to get through. Guess the site was not ready for so many people trying to get the merch at the same time... especially because, while it is supposed to be produced on-demand, they announced limits to each merch. Wonder how that works, since it is on-demand yet at the same time limited... 🤔

Update August 31, 2022: Sale of Violet Evergarden merchandise at the garden's store will end today. The drink (with its bottle) will continue to be sold until stock runs out.

【グッズ販売終了のお知らせ】　
ガーデンミュージアム比叡内ショップでの「ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン」コラボレーションイベントのオリジナルグッズの販売は8/31(水)で終了いたします。予めご了承くださいませ。

尚、コラボドリンクは8/31(水)以降も販売いたします。(※売切れ次第終了) pic.twitter.com/C5ooFWbnFN
— 【公式】ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン×ガーデンミュージアム比叡 (@Violet_GMHiei) August 31, 2022