National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC

Each year the National Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Washington, DC to commemorate the 1912 gift of the 3,000 cherry tress from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. Honoring the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan, the festival produces and coordinates daily events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and community spirit. The events are primarily free and open to the public.

In 1994, the Festival was expanded to two weeks to accomodate a diverse activity schedule during the blooming period. More than a million people visit Washington, DC each year to admire the cherry trees and attend events that mark the beginning of spring in the nation’s capital.

This year marks the 100 anniversary of the festival and former expat Ajda Berryman was there to document the beautiful cherry blossoms in their full glory.

All images courtesy of Ajda Berryman.