The disaster this month in Japan has been well documented.
The 9.0 earthquake that ripped the ground apart. The tsunami that swept inland. The damaged infrastructure, including nuclear power plants. The thousands of lives lost.
With the National Cherry Blossom Festival set to kick off Saturday, Japan is not far from the organizer’s thoughts.
Japanese relief and recovery is a big part of this year’s festival. The festival has partnered with the American Red Cross to raise money for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund and is holding an online auction through Sunday. Custom-made neckties can also be purchased, with proceeds going to the fundraising effort (all the above can be accessed through the festival’s website).
“More than ever, now is the time that the festival should continue the friendship between the U.S. and Japan,” said Festival President Diana Mayhew.
Immediately after the disaster hit Japan on March 11, organizers knew that with 1.5 million people estimated to attend the festival at some point during its 16-day run, the event could be an effective, timely way to help with relief efforts.
“Our first reaction was to reach out to our friends and associates that we know in Japan to make sure everybody was OK,” Mayhew said. “We were in shock, as everybody else was. We obviously knew right away we needed to do something. We didn’t know exactly what that was or what that could be. We received many phone calls and many emails from people saying ‘What is it we can do? What could we do together? How can we help?’ We felt that we were in a position to answer that question and bring people together.”
Mayhew credited her volunteers for helping to organize fundraising efforts on such short notice.
Ninety-nine years ago, Japan gave 3,000 cherry trees to the District. The first festival started in 1935 and has grown in popularity, now attracting hundreds of thousands of people over three weekends to a number of events.
“The city just comes together and celebrates spring time in D.C.,” Mayhew said.
In addition to the celebrating, Mayhew added that the cherry blossoms “symbolize rebirth, renewal and now rebuilding.”
For more information or to contribute to Japanese relief efforts through the National Cherry Blossom Festival, visit nationalcherryblossomfestival.org.
