Since Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo, Japan gave Washington, D.C. the gift of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees on March 27, 1912, Washingtonians have annually enjoyed the blooms and bemoaned the tourists. The trees helped to enhance the friendship that the United States and previously isolationist Japan were developing. The blooming of the trees signal the coming of spring and an explosion of white and pale pink across our normally marble and dirt-colored cityscape. In addition to basic tree-worship, the festival is also a time for cultural celebrations and events, such as daily mass-consumption of sushi and sake, parades, classes, art exhibits, dance performances, bike tours, fashion shows, martial arts exhibitions and more.
