A rainbow shines over the Sakura development during the Oct. 23 event.
By: Charity Meier | Novi Note | Published October 29, 2025
NOVI — After years of planning and hard work, taiko drums sounded and a rainbow appeared over the ornate Japanese garden in the heart of the Sakura Novi development off Grand River Avenue in Novi following the garden’s dedication Oct. 23.
“While this project was first announced around 2017, I know that the hard work, ideas and the dreams behind it started well before that as a vision to create a place that will bring people together and celebrate culture, connection and diversity, right here in Novi,” Mayor Justin Fischer said.
Fischer said the city is proud to have Sakura Novi in the city. He recalled that the area where the development now sits was once the site of a coin-operated car wash that had long been vacant.
“What was once a row of washbays and vacuums is now a beautiful garden and a pond for everyone to enjoy, surrounded by some wonderful businesses and residences that will support Novi’s economic development for years to come. This is now a place that reflects how far this project and our city have come,” Fischer said. “What makes this garden so special is that it is not just a place, but a symbol. Sakura Novi celebrates our community’s deep connection to the Asian culture, something that has helped shape Novi for decades.”
According to Scott Aikens, co-owner of Sakura Novi, the Japanese and international-themed main street district that combines retail and residential developments in one centralized location is the culmination of a dream of the city of Novi, Oakland County, the Consulate-General of Japan in Detroit and the Japanese Business Society of Detroit.
“We are developing and curating a development focused on (an) Asian theme that has a sense of harmony among the food experiences and also how you live and how you take care of your health,” said Phil Kim, co-owner of Sakura Novi.
Sakura Novi currently offers townhouse rental units near 11 Mile Road, 13 Asian-owned and/or -themed businesses off Grand River Avenue, and a boardwalk across a 2-acre pond surrounded by Japanese cherry trees that brings the two types of real estate developments together.
“Novi has over the years become a critical home away from home for the 15,000-person-strong community of Japanese citizens living here affiliated with global corporations including Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Asahi Denso and many more,” Aikens said. “These families and individuals living for a time in Michigan, like so many others, will find delight at the Sakura gardens and at Sakura Novi. I hope this reflects well in Japan and elsewhere on Michigan when individuals return home.”
According to Aikens, they have plans to develop an area nearby with additional apartments.
On the retail end of the project, two businesses celebrated their grand opening as well on Oct. 23: Klawsome!, a claw machine arcade, and Paris Baguette, part of an international chain based in South Korea.
According to Michal and Agnes Filipowski, of Novi, who own Klawsome!, claw machine arcades are quite popular in Asian countries and in many other states. However, Klawsome! is the first claw machine arcade in Michigan. She said they looked at many other possibilities for their business, but felt the Sakura development was the perfect spot.
“We actually did look at possibilities at, like, Twelve Oaks or, like, other areas of Novi, but when we saw that the whole purpose of Sakura was to have Asian American themed businesses, this felt like the best place for us anywhere in Novi or anywhere in Michigan, really,” Agnes Filipowski said.
She said that when one of her interns noticed the rainbow following the dedication ceremony for the Sakura garden and asked if it symbolized luck, she felt it was definitely a good sign.
“I felt like it was a good metaphor, that through all the struggles that we’ve had trying to open this business for our family, as far as lots of delays, the tariff situation, everything that comes with opening a small business, that we’ve finally got to the rainbow and it’s just looking brighter from now on,” Agnes Filipowski said.
Councilman Dave Staudt recalled the start of the development years ago and how they had kept the dream alive through all the years and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When we thought we were going to give up, we just pushed through, and you know, here we are today, we have this spectacularly beautiful development, and you know, frankly, this is what business is about, you have a difficult time — the rewards are much greater at the end,” Staudt said.
“We set ourselves to our goal of bringing a global experience to downtown Novi, and I believe we succeeded,” Kim said.
Aikens said they have five more business openings planned in the coming months, and they still have room for a couple of more businesses to make their home at Sakura Novi.