Japan-U.S. Kids’ Cherry Blossom Haiku Exhibit Opens in Washington

Washington, March 23 (Jiji Press)–An exhibition of haiku poems and drawings themed on cherry blossoms by Japanese and U.S. elementary school children began at the Japan Information and Culture Center in Washington on Monday. The event, which will run until April 10, marks Japan’s gifting of 250 cherry blossom trees to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding this year. From Japan, elementary school children of five prefectures including Hokkaido, Iwate and Kochi participated. The exhibition displays more than 300 works by the two countries’ students, including a haiku poem about sending cherry blossoms to the United States by a fifth grader of Yuni, Hokkaido, and a drawing of cherry blossoms in Washington by a U.S. student. In 1912, the then Tokyo city government gifted some 3,000 cherry blossom trees to the United States, which were planted along the Potomac River in the U.S. capital and serve as a symbol of the two countries’ friendship. The annual National Cherry Blossom Festival is being held in Washington, attracting many visitors. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]