The Gift of Cherry Blossoms Honoring the Friendship of Two Nations

[Rob L 3,811]

http://paidpost.nytimes.com/embassy-of-japan/the-gift-of-cherry-blossoms-honoring-the-friendship-of-two-nations.html?WT.mc_id=2016-March-NYTNative_Ribbon-Japan-0318-0417&WT.mc_ev=click?module=Ribbon&version=PaidPostDriver&region=Header&action=click&pgtype=article

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The Gift of Cherry Blossoms

Honoring the Friendship of Two Nations

When the cherry
blossoms bloomed

They brought beauty
to my heart.

Tatsu-jo¹

Each spring, when the cherry blossoms’ pink buds unfurl on bare branches, they signify renewal and joy, and in Washington, D.C., they are the centerpiece of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. More than one million people flock to the capital city to experience the flowering trees and to enjoy the festival’s entertainment and activities. Beyond being an iconic springtime event, the festival and the trees themselves honor the strong bonds of friendship between the U.S. and Japan.

Enter the Gardens

Click on a section to learn more.

PART 1Celebrating aTreasured FriendshipPART 2From Cherry Blossoms toJapanese GardensPART 3Nature Within a GardenPART 4Nature Brought HomePART 5Find a Garden orFestival Near You

Celebrating aTreasured Friendship

In 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo gave 3,000 cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., as symbols of friendship, forever changing the springtime vistas of the nation’s capital. Three years later, the United States reciprocated by sending dogwood saplings to Japan, deepening the ties between the two countries.

Two women enjoy the cherry blossoms by the Tidal Basin in 1935.Courtesy of the Library of Congress

We’ll never forget the roots of where this all started ... where these trees came from and the symbol of peace and friendship they represent.

Diana Mayhew, National Cherry Blossom Festival President

Beginning in the 1920s, the trees’ spectacular blooming inspired celebrations of international friendship and spring renewal, evolving into today’s city-wide, multi-week National Cherry Blossom Festival. Cared for by the National Park Service, the trees’ famously breathtaking, yet fleeting, display is found surrounding the Tidal Basin, lining the Potomac River and enhancing the Washington Monument grounds.

A vibrant expression of the bond between the U.S. and Japan, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is renowned as the “nation’s greatest springtime celebration,” according to festival President Diana Mayhew. “We’ll never forget the roots of where this all started ... where these trees came from and the symbol of peace and friendship they represent.”

The festival includes Japanese cultural events, such as kite flying competitions, the Sakura Matsuri-Japanese street festival, martial arts demonstrations and anime events. Hands-on crafts, like origami paper folding and ikebana flower arranging, are also common spectacles. The festival sponsors new tree plantings across the region — in public parks and on school and library grounds — with each tree enhancing its new home and underscoring the closeness of America and Japan with its ephemeral blooming.Photos of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC by Ron Engle

The U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

The National Bonsai& Penjing Museum The U.S. National Arboretumin Washington, D.C.

From Cherry Blossomsto Japanese Gardens

Cherry blossom trees thrive in many states and there are cherry blossom festivals held across the country, from New York to San Francisco, even Honolulu.

The West Waterfall at Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Ill.Photo by Anderson Japanese Gardens

Cherry blossom trees thrive in many states and there are cherry blossom festivals held across the country.

Portland, OR

Portland Japanese Garden Portland, OR

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Trump wants to cut the cherry trees down and use the wood to build his promised wall around 'Merka! Trump remembers Pearl Harbor!

[Jacque67 7,328]

Cherry blossoms!

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I used to always have to go to a conference in DC at Cherry Blossom Time. I didn't have to go, really, but I always volunteered.

[Jacque67 7,328]

Do you have crazy parties under them at night over there?

[Rob L 3,811]

Do you have crazy parties under them at night over there?

I read on the first pass

Do you have Crazy Panties under them...

[Jacque67 7,328]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motojir%C5%8D_Kajii

[Jacque67 7,328]

http://intranslation.brooklynrail.org/japanese/under-the-cherry-blossoms

[Rob L 3,811]

http://intranslation.brooklynrail.org/japanese/under-the-cherry-blossoms

I will need to study this after dinner

[Jacque67 7,328]

I will need to study this after dinner

Yeah, this is a pretty good translation.