The pounding sound of taiko drums echoed throughout the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center Saturday as drummer Yoko Nakahashi sat at the front of the Sakura Main Stage, framed by the weekend’s headliner: Philly’s pink and white cherry blossom trees.
“There is so much meaning behind the cherry blossoms,” said Matthew Wilson, president and dean of Temple Japan Campus and board member of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. “Part is that it signifies new life, it signifies hope in a world that’s in turmoil. I can’t think of a better way to bring everybody together than to really celebrate the beauty of nature through cherry blossoms.”
Crowds flocked to the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5 and 6 to celebrate the brief bloom of the park’s cherry blossom trees before their delicate petals fall away.
“You can experience Japan while you are here,” said Kazumi Teune, the executive director of JASGP. “The Cherry Blossom Festival is a true labor of love between myself and my fellow board members and each year, we are overjoyed in bringing a taste of our beautiful culture to Philadelphia.”
In collaboration with Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center, JASGP’s Sakura Festival offered weekend-long events including live music, sushi samurai classes and an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony. Vendors lined the park’s walkways and food trucks served many different Asian cuisines.
“It’s a once-a-year kind of thing,” said Brandon Pun, a Philadelphia resident and festival attendee. “Once we saw the festivities, we decided to come stay, enjoy, see the sights, kinda get a sense of the community in Philadelphia.”
From the smell of egg rolls and the taste of ube-flavored ice cream to the sounds of mahjong and gomoku tables, the festival extends beyond a visual experience. Eastern Asian influences fluttered around the park like the falling cherry blossom petals.
These symbolic cherry blossom trees only come to full fruition for two weeks of the year. The beauty of their fleeting nature serves as a reason to come together in celebration of Japanese culture, promising cultural health and welcoming spring.
“It really means a lot to build bridges and to bring cultures together,” Wilson said. “Mutual respect, excitement, understanding and just this newness and hope. I really truly think that bringing this together in spring as we move forward is just an ideal and perfect timing.”
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