Japan in Washington DC!
In 1912, the Mayor Yukio Ozaki from Toyko, Japan gave Washington DC 3,000 cherry blossom trees which celebrated the friendship between the United States and Japan. Today an annual celebration is held in the spring when the trees are blooming all over the Nation's Capital. I went for the first time last year and since I had just come back from being in Japan, I got a lot out of it.
It is literally like stepping into Japan in the middle of Washington! From the crowds of people, to the food, to the souvenirs. Every booth was full of products from Japan. Products that we had just bought in the country itself, so that goes to show how authentic it really is! There are several stages set up around the street that the festival is housed. We watched everything from sword handling competitions, to ancient traditional Japanese dance, to modern day Japanese martial arts/dance. Everyone is smiling and enjoying themselves with all the food and cultural influences on the street.
