With the peak for cherry blossoms in the U.S. capital forecast for later this week, the opening ceremony of the National Cherry Blossom Festival was held Sunday at a Washington theater.
The annual spring festival returned to an in-person format for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic started. Prior to the pandemic, more than 1.5 million people had visited the capital annually to enjoy the cherry blossoms along the Potomac River, as well as a series of Japan-related events.
The cherry blossoms serve as a reminder of the friendship between the United States and Japan. This year marks the 110th anniversary of the 1912 gift of 3,000 nursery cherry trees to Washington from Tokyo's then-mayor, Yukio Ozaki.