Wednesday, January 23, 2019
“It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short.”
Homaro Cantu
The cherry blossom season usually takes place in late March to early April. In some places it might bloom in early May. The cherry blossom season is short as the blossoms start falling about a week after full bloom (mankai). Rain and wind can further shorten the blooming season.
Japanese symbolizes the blooming of the trees to the transience of life. It reminds us that time is precious and nothing lasts – however beautiful or unpleasant. To mark their growing friendship, Japan gifted United States with several cherry blossom trees.
Cherry Blossoms (sakura) are usually synonymous with Japan. However, you can enjoy them outside Japan as well. Here are 5 places in U.S. where you can enjoy the sakura.
Macon, Georgia
Macon known as the ‘Cherry Blossom Capital of the World,’ features 300,000 to 350,000 Yoshino Cherry Trees bloom in college campuses, Macon neighborhoods and around downtown, in late March every year. It has been celebrating International Cherry Blossom Festival in the spring since 1982. Apart from tours of the cherry trees, and tea garden parties, you can find food-truck festival as well. William A Fickling, Sr., and other community members grew the first cherry trees way back in 1970’s.
Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. including National Park Service is home to 3,000 cherry blossom trees. Yukio Ozaki, who was the then mayor of Tokyo, gifted first few thousand trees to the city in 1912. It is the best place to walkthrough the rows of cherry blossoms beyond Japan. Cherry blossoms lining the Tidal Basin in March is one of the picturesque view to capture in your album.
Lake Balboa Park, Los Angeles
About 200 cherry trees were added to the 9-acre expansion to the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. Designed in 1991, the garden symbolizes the friendship between San Diego and their sister city, Yokohama, Japan.
Inspired by Japanese culture there is annual cherry blossom festival in Balboa Park. The festival features tea and bear tasting, Japanese street food, cultural performances, and unique gifts shop.
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville has over 1,000 cherry blossom trees planted across the city. The Japan-America Society of Tennessee organizes blossom-centric festival; and a cherry blossom walk, that starts at Nashville’s public square and ends at the Morgan Park. The festival includes sumo-suit wrestling and other traditional Japanese performances such as music demonstrations and martial arts.
Branch Brook Park, New Jersey
Branch Brook Park is home to more than 5,000 cherry trees. Visitors can take a guided tour, throughout its cherry blossom season. The festival is interspersed with Japanese cultural demonstrations. Branch Brook Park is the only place which has more cherry blossom trees in both number and variety of trees than Washington, D.C.
Cherry blossoms represent the fragility and the beauty of life. No matter where you are, walking through the cherry blossoms is an experience never to be missed.
What a strange thing!
To be alive beneath cherry blossom
-Kobayashi Issa
Tags: Cherry Blossom, sakura, US
