Cherry Blossom Festival flowers anew
It recalls a gift of friendship 82 years ago from Japan to Philadelphia.
In 1926, 1,600 cherry trees were planted in and around Fairmount Park, a gift of friendship to Philadelphia by the Japanese government. This weekend, the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (founded in 1994) will honor that contribution to the area's springtime beauty with the opening of the 11th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival, initiated by the society and sponsored by Subaru.
The society, which has planted more than 1,000 cherry trees in the park and along Kelly Drive and continues to plant in other Philadelphia locations, will begin the two-week festival Saturday. The festival, the second largest in the United States, will include numerous events by participating organizations throughout the area.
Family festivities Saturday will include Tamagawa Taiko and Dance, featuring taiko drumming and energetic dance by performers from Tamagawa University in Japan, at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Painted Bride Art Center (230 Vine St.), and a Japanese Elements Garden Tour at 2 p.m. at the Morris Arboretum (100 Northwestern Ave.).
The second of four Tamagawa performances will follow on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Swarthmore College (500 College Ave., Swarthmore). Activities will continue Monday with the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival Sidewalk Parade beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the University of the Arts, continuing on Broad Street and ending at City Hall.
The first three of 11 Japanese Story Hours will begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. at the Cherry Hill Public Library (1100 N. Kings Highway) and at 4 p.m. at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Lillian Marrero Branch (601 W. Lehigh Ave.).
Additional family highlights during the next two weeks include kimono dressing, martial arts and karaoke during Japanese Culture Week (April 8-11) at Liberty Place (16th and Chestnut Streets), an Origami for Kids workshop on April 12 at Morris Arboretum, and Sakura Sunday, featuring live music, dance performances, martial arts, calligraphy workshops, and shiatsu massages on April 13 at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park (Montgomery Drive and Belmont Avenue).
Print- and sushi-making workshops, Japanese food tasting, artist showcases and traditional tea ceremonies, along with a Sake Fest, also will take place. The Sakura Snapshots Online Photo Contest, to which contestants can submit shots of Philadelphia's cherry blossoms and Japanese culture in America, will be held throughout April. The Aramark Gala - an evening of dining and dancing - will be Saturday at 7 p.m. at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square.