Visiting Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival
(updated 30 March 2019 ) I'm a big fan of 花見 ( hanami ), the Japanese custom of viewing sakura cherry blossoms. It's a great way to enjoy the beginning of spring, shake off winter, eat some sakura mochi , and (if you're doing it according to custom) reflect upon the ephemeral and fleeting nature of life – the "peak" blossoms only last about a week. In 1912 the mayor of Tokyo gave 3,000 cherry trees to the city of Washington DC as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. With 100+ years of sakura history, it's no surprise that DC has the USA's largest cherry blossom festival. Given their location and climate, their blossoms come in a full month before New York's. The current prediction for peak bloom is : 🌸 1–6 April, 2019 🌸 ℹ️ TIP: here's a little decoding chart for the Park Service's various bloom stages Given the fickle nature of the actual bloom date , the festival itself is nearly a month long. Many...