Cherry Blossom Festival focuses on Japan bond

Last March, while preparing for Washington, D.C.’s annual National
Cherry Blossom Festival, Ambassador of Japan Ichiro Fujisaki faced a
serious challenge.

A 9.0 earthquake had just rocked Japan, triggering a tsunami that left thousands of people dead and caused severe nuclear accidents that led to thousands more having to leave their homes. He had to decide how to proceed with an event that seemed inappropriate in the wake of such a monumental tragedy.

{mosads}In an interview with The Hill at his embassy office in Northwest Washington, the ambassador reflected on those first difficult days for his people and the dilemma he faced.

“It was only two weeks after [the] earthquake-tsunami-nuclear accident,” Fujisaki said, “and I was wondering how we would manage this Cherry Blossom Festival, because it’s a festival and people are really struggling in Tokyo.”

After discussing the matter with officials responsible for organizing the event, the ambassador agreed that the festival couldn’t just be business as usual. Organizers decided on “Stand with Japan” as the festival’s theme, collected donations for victims of the disaster and held a vigil before the festival began. The ambassador said he was “grateful and touched” by the effort that went into the event, which he described as a symbol of the friendship between his country and the United States.

The tragedy will undoubtedly cast a shadow over this year’s festival as well, but Fujisaki stressed it will ultimately be an optimistic occasion.

The day of the earthquake, March 11, 2011, “was a big tragedy,” he said, “but we are trying to use [the festival] as a more future-oriented and positive opportunity.”

John Malott, president of the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C., echoed the ambassador’s statement.

“Everyone’s going to remember what happened a year ago,” he said. “But I think … everyone is going to be interested in what’s happening in Japan today.”

This year’s festival comes at a significant time as well, not just because it marks the one-year anniversary of the tragedy but also because it commemorates the 100th anniversary of the planting of the first cherry trees along the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. That event, which occurred on March 27, 1912, was a significant milestone in the history of the United States and Japan. Ann McClellan, author of Cherry Blossoms: The Official Book of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, said it was a gesture that not only added beauty to what was then a sparse area of the Tidal Basin but also cemented the friendship between the two countries.

Of course, that friendship has had its rough patches over the years — though McClellan noted that even during World War II the trees were well-loved by Washingtonians. Nonetheless, the bond between the two countries has remained relatively strong throughout the past 10 decades, and the festival has always made sure to emphasize that fact.

“What’s nice about the National Cherry Blossom Festival,” Malott said, “is that they always say front and center that one of the things the festival does is celebrate our friendship with the Japanese people.”

To commemorate 100 years of friendship, the organizers of this year’s festival have expanded the event from 16 days to five weeks and added numerous activities. Danielle Piacente, communications manager for the festival, said that many of the festival’s signature events have been “elevated” this year. Not only that, but organizers have brought in big-name talent, such as singers Sara Bareilles and Misia — a household name in her native Japan.

“Everything is just a little more unique [this year],” McClellan said. “The festival offers unique and wonderful performances to attend every year … but this year there are lots of people coming from Japan to participate.”

Among the participants are 13 students from Fukushima, a prefecture in Japan that suffered severe damage from last year’s earthquake and tsunami, who were invited by the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. The students will appear in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

“We’re here to give them the time of their life,” Malott said.

It’s just one example of the enduring friendship that exists between these two countries. Fujisaki continues to feel grateful for the hand the United States has extended to Japan in its time of need. He’s also optimistic about the future.

“More than 80 percent [of] people in [the] United States and Japan say they like each other, so I think we’re in great shape,” he said.

The ambassador also mentioned plans to plant cherry trees in more than 30 cities across the United States as further evidence of the good relations between the countries.

“Washington will not be monopolizing cherry blossoms in the future,” he quipped.