A Springtime Cultural Exchange: The Cherry Blossom Festival

Thousands from around the world gathered for the National Cherry Blossom Parade on
The National Mall in Washington, D.C. this past Saturday, April 11. The event is part of
the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, which celebrates the flourishing friendship
between the people of the United States and Japan.

The event featured 14 marching bands from across the
country, traditional Japanese dance troupes,
jump-ropers, roller derby teams, and step dancers.
Participating groups engaged onlookers with lively
performances, decadent costumes, and flashy floats.
Giant helium balloons were a trending decoration.
Employees of Safeway, a supermarket chain and annual
participant in the Cherry Blossom festivities, held a
panda balloon which nearly spanned a block.

We bring the kids every year, said Sandy Davis who is
an annual parade attendee and a dual citizen of the
United States and England. My daughters love the
dancers the most.

Also featured in the parade were the Goodwill Ambassadors, a selected group of
college students who are passionate about international relations, community
involvement, and the mission of the Festival. This year they waved from a float which
resembled a Japanese foot bridge in a garden of cherry blossoms.

It was a good experience that I will never be able to do again, said Shun Ishihata,
Goodwill Ambassador and senior at American University.

Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Ishihata learned about the festival after coming to
Washington, D.C. to study International Relations. He says, I was pleased that the
celebration of cherry blossoms in D.C. was done to
promote awareness of the fact that what we are
celebrating is a Japanese cultural tradition.

Ishihata feels honored to see Americans appreciating
springtime in the same way his native community
welcomes the new season. In his home city of Tokyo,
the Tokyo Tower glows pink April 5 through April 12 to
proclaim the peak bloom of the cherry blossom trees in
Japan and Washington, D.C.

The shared culture has become a symbol of friendship
between two nations, said Ishihata. I almost felt that I
was obligated to get involved in the festival to show an appreciation for American people
accepting our culture and to further enhance the flourish of the festival.

In addition to Saturdays event, the Goodwill Ambassadors have participated in the
Festivals Family Day and Pink Tie Party fundraiser. Ishihata has enjoyed all the events,
but his favorite was Family Day where he made bracelets with American kids to send to
Japanese children as a form of cultural exchange. His second favorite was the parade.

Saturdays celebration marked the end of the festivities but crowds will continue to visit
the National Mall to relax beneath the cherry blossom trees.