sakura -- the washington dc cherry blossom festival

it's all about her. i mean, about it: the cherry blossom, in german language accompanied by a grammatical female article, die Kirschbaumblüte.














she is the star of sakura -- the national cherry blossom festival in washington dc. sakura means cherry blossom in japanese but also stands for the celebration of the blossoming. the spectacle usually lasts about two weeks and is a major event in spring in japan.


























in washington dc sakura has become a tradition ever since the first festival was held in 1935.
































but the first two initially planted cherry trees, more correct the yoshine cherry trees or prunus x yedoensis, date back to 1912. that year the mayor of tokyo, yukio ozaki, gave 3,000 trees as a gift to washington dc to honor the close friendship between the two countries.































another 3,800 trees came in 1965 and in 1994 the festival was expanded to two weeks to give enough time to all the activities...
































...and the over one million visitors the event draws every year. families pick nick, kids play and climb in the trees, painters paint, photographers plant their tripods, couples do romantic things, tourists snap pictures with cute poses, runners weave their way through the crowd.
































apart from the cherry blossom, the tidal basin invites for a leisurely walk around. a small inlet bridge with in-built small interesting fountains provides a well-known dc panorama.




























the walk leads you to visit the memorials dedicated to thomas jefferson -- the temple-like building -- and the one for franklin delano roosevelt -- the one with the many statues and waterfalls.of course, the long tall obelisk for washington can be seen, too.




























it's hard to resist taking postcard style photos especially as the sun going down gives soft warm lighting.















franklin delano roosevelt is commemorated by several statues. one of them of his beloved dog, named fala, which seemed to draw the attention of especially kids.


















back to the japanese features on the cherry tree walk. this pagoda ways over 3,800 pounds (or 1.724 kilogram) and was another gift from another mayor, ryozo hiranuma of yokohama, japan, in 1957 as a sign nearby explains. starting from the bottom of the pagoda the parts represent earth, water, fire, wind, and sky.














until april 11, 2010 the national cherry blossom festival in dc celebrates the little blossoms that brighten the area around the tidal basin but also dot the whole city in a hopeful tender white and rosé.