Cherry Blossoms Bring Japanese Beauty to Philadelphia

Warmer temperatures are thawing the winter chill, birds are singing in the trees, baseball just started again… spring is very much in the air. In Philadelphia, one of the most picturesque and memorable signs of the spring season is the blooming of the cherry blossoms. The first cherry trees in the City of Brotherly Love were gifted from Japan in 1926 as a sign of friendship. Back then, there were only a thousand flowering trees. Since then, their numbers have multiplied and their annual blooms have become so beloved that they are celebrated with a festival.

Cherry blossoms in bloom are cause to celebrate!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival, which is held in Japanese House and Garden in West Fairmount Park. In addition to viewing the gorgeous, tender pink cherry blossoms, visitors can experience displays of Japanese culture like taiko drum performances.

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia helps organize the festival. Since 1998 the group has planted over one thousand additional cherry trees throughout the city. They can be found along the River Drives, between the Museum of Art and the Waterworks, behind Memorial Hall and along Belmont Plateau. The blooming of the cherry blossoms stands for the return of spring, says Japan America Society member Aaron Dilliplane, who spent three and a half years as an exchange student and English teacher in Japan. He says that Fairmount Park takes him back at this time of year: “It’s an amazing little treasure here. It’s like visiting Japan without ever going out of the city.”

The highlight of the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival is Sakura Sunday, at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park. The event celebrates both contemporary and traditional Japanese culture with events like “live music, dance, a fashion show, martial arts, a tea tasting and a sushi making contest,” according to CBS3. All of this takes place under the boughs of cherry blossoms.