IN 1912 , TOKYO ’ S MAJOR SENT A GIFT OF 3,000 CHERRY TREES TO WASHINGTON , D . C ., IN A SALUTE TO THE AMICABLE RELATIONS ENJOYED BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS . MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER , THE TREES ARE A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING .
2017
NATIONAL CHERRY BLOSSOM
FESTIVAL
By Jayne Clark
IN 1912 , TOKYO ’ S MAJOR SENT A GIFT OF 3,000 CHERRY TREES TO WASHINGTON , D . C ., IN A SALUTE TO THE AMICABLE RELATIONS ENJOYED BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS . MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER , THE TREES ARE A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING .
But first , a little backstory . The initial shipment of 2,000 cherry trees from Japan actually arrived in Washington in 1910 . Unfortunately , they were diseased and a decision ( approved by no less than President Taft himself ) was made to burn the trees . Two years later , a healthy batch arrived and the first two cherry trees were ceremonially planted on the shore of the Potomac Tidal Basin by First Lady Helen Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador . In 1915 , the U . S . reciprocated with a gift of 40 flowering dogwoods to Japan .
The first major cherry blossom festival launched in 1935 and continues to this day , spanning four action-packed weekends in March and April . Every spring , the pink and white blossoms provide a canopy of color around the city ’ s Tidal Basin and beyond , sparking a spectacular celebration
FLYWASHINGTON . COM 44 SPRING 2017