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This is one of my highlights in the year. The D.C. National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the blossoming of the Japanese Cherry Blossoms for roughly a two week period. It also commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to D.C. “to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and celebrate the continued close relationship between our two peoples.”(from the ncbf website)

image credit: http://picasaweb.google.com/momisbest, www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

Some highlights in the festival for me were in no particular order:

• Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival
  • Probably my favorite event. It’s like a festival within a festival! There’s plenty of festival fare: food, performances, shops, etc. I can’t really do it justice by describing it. Take a look at the website: http://www.sakuramatsuri.org/
• Anime Film Marathon
  • Free anime, yesssss. Hosted by the Smithsonian Museum, the anime film marathon displays some of the coolest films. They show a good variety of genres too. There’s even a little cosplay. To check out the list of anime films going on, look here:
• Opening Ceremony
  • Good way to kick off the event. Guest speakers and dignitaries, free stuff, little workshops, etc.
• Tidal Basin Performances
  • Performances spanning the entire festival, lots of great shows ranging from music, dance, martial arts, etc.
• The NCBF Parade
  • Big event with lots of marching bands, floats, vehicles, etc. I like the giant Hello Kitty.
• The Cherry Blossoms of course! Truly a great spectacle in itself.

image credit: news.nationalgeographic.com

There’s obviously A LOT more that I didn’t describe. There’s cruises, food tasting, guided tours, and more. Please check the NCBF website for full list (there’s also a calendar which you can pick a date and it will show what’s going on that day).

image credit: indiv.tlri.gov.tw

The 2008 National Cherry Blossom Festival lasts from March 29 through April 13. You definitely want to check this out if you are in the area.

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