While traditional Hanami happens in Japan, I had the pleasure of visiting the nation’s capitol this year for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The trip was only for a few days (March 31-April 5) but our time there happened to coincide with the peak blooming period (April 1-4). We wasted no time going out to see the trees and packed our gear for the beautiful walk around the Tidal Basin. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
The walkway along the basin was lined with trees and people
Looking across the water to the Jefferson Memorial
In addition to the trees, Saturday brought the annual Sakura Matsuri street festival. As one of the largest Japanese festivals in the nation, it closed down 6 blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue and featured performances from cultural groups, taiko troupes, and even JPop artists. This year’s major guest was singer Kawashima Ai, the young and talented JPop artist.
The crowds gather to eat, play, and enjoy the beautiful weather
No celebration of Japanese culture can be complete without Cosplay
…or Godzilla, for that matter…
Kawashima Ai performs on stage
How Do You Figure? 
Was there as well, brought tons of photos. Would be nice to organize a meet of otaku blogers this year.
Could be an interesting prospect. Though with such a large window of when the blossoms bloom, it’d be hard to get everyone in one place at the same time. I flew in for the festival this year and just happened to be there during peak bloom. Not sure how things are going to pan out this year…