2021 Shofuso Cherry Blossom Viewing: Virtual Ohanami (Saturday April 10th)NEW

On April 10th, Shofuso welcomes Philadelphians to recover and renew by visiting Shofuso this spring and enjoying our Shofuso Cherry Blossom Viewing: Virtual Ohanami online. The program will be live from Shofuso, including a presentation of cherry blossom appreciation, cherry tree workshop and Tamagawa University taiko performance (pre-recorded in Japan) to mark the fresh start of the 2021 spring season.

Every year when the cherry trees bloom, friends and family gather under the blossoms to have flower-viewing picnics called “Ohanami” in Japan. Pick up a Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Ohanami map at Shofuso (opens on March 20th), and plan your own Ohanami picnic to treat yourself with the simple pleasure of sitting outdoors and watching the delicate petals float on the spring breeze while enjoying fresh air under the blooming cherry trees around Philadelphia.

Flowering cherry trees is also a symbol of friendship between Philadelphia and Japan since 1,600 cherry trees were gifted from Japan to Philadelphia in 1926 to commemorate the American Sesquicentennial. In 1933, Japanese residents of the Philadelphia region gifted additional 500 cherry trees and planted them alongside John B. Kelly Drive. The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia organized to plant 1,000 new cherry trees in Philadelphia between 1998 and 2007. JASGP has been working with neighborhood communities continuously since 2008 to plant cherry trees in Clark Park, Franklin Square and Morris Park to help build green and peaceful urban communities.

You can run or walk in the Virtual Shofuso Cherry Blossom 10K/5K through the cherry trees around Shofuso on your own schedule!

This event is dedicated to Abana Jacobs, a colleague lost to Covid in 2020 who worked with us on Subaru Cherry Blossom Festivals for many years.

Date
Saturday April 10

Time
10:00 am - 11:00 am

About Shofuso Japanese Gardens
Tour our house, view our garden and feed our koi! Shofuso Japanese House and Garden is a traditional-style Japanese house and nationally-ranked garden in Philadelphia’s West Fairmount Park that reflects the history of Japanese culture in Philadelphia, from the 1876 Centennial Exposition to the installation of its contemporary paintings in 2007.Shofuso was built in Japan in 1953 using traditional techniques and materials and exhibited in the courtyard at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was moved to Philadelphia in 1958, to the site of several previous Japanese structures dating to the 1876 Centennial Exposition. In 2007, internationally renowned artist Hiroshi Senju, inspired by our waterfall, donated 20 murals to Shofuso.A viewing garden with koi pond and island, a tea garden, and a courtyard garden comprise the 17th century-style Japanese walled and fenced garden of this historic site and museum.

Photo Credit: Sean Marshall