Cultural Reception

In the United States, Japanese cherry blossoms are thought of as a positive and important part of spring culture. When Japan gifted over 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C. in 1912, they were given to symbolize friendship and respect between Japan and the U.S., and that idea is still emphasized today. Every year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival draws more than a million visitors who come to enjoy the blossoms, parades, and performances, and the event is described as a celebration of “enduring friendship” between the two countries. The Library of Congress also notes that the trees have become “living symbols of friendship,” showing how Americans now associate them to both beauty and international connection (Billington). Building on this idea, communities across America use cherry blossom events to unite families together, celebrate the end of winter, and highlight connections with Japanese history and culture. Overall, the way Americans celebrate cherry blossoms show that they symbolize more than just trees, they are living symbols of beauty and cross-cultural respect.

After Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, anger and fear in the United States badly hurt the relationship between the two countries and turned anything connected to Japan into a threat. The Smithsonian explains that while people rushed to enlist and work in war factories, some Americans also showed “misplaced anger at simply anything from Japan,” including the famous cherry trees in Washington, D.C. On the night of December 10, 1941, multiple thieves cut down four cherry trees around the Tidal Basin, including two from the original 1912 gift, and even carved “To Hell With the Japanese” into one of the trunks. This attack showed how a gift that once symbolized friendship and respect was suddenly seen as a symbol of the enemy. The article also notes that from 1942 to 1947 there was no Cherry Blossom Festival, and many people wanted to rename the trees “Oriental” cherry trees and hide Japanese art from public view. Together, these actions reveal how wartime emotions twisted peaceful cultural symbols like the cherry blossoms into outlets for hostility and distrust (Stromberg).

Japanese cherry blossoms have become an important way that Japanese culture is shared with people in the United States. The 1912 gift of more than 3,000 sakura trees to Washington, D.C., eventually grew into the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which Smithsonian Magazine says now promotes “traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit” while making the blossoms widely symbolic of Japan and American appreciation of Japanese culture (Nakahara). At these festivals, visitors do more than just look at the trees, they also watch performances, see traditional clothing, and join events that are inspired by Japanese culture. The Smithsonian Folklife article explains that in Japan, sakura symbolize renewal and the shortness of life and are celebrated through hanami, or flower-viewing parties where people eat, drink, and gather under the blossoms (Takeda). When American festivals teach these meanings and even use Japanese words like “sakura” and “hanami,” they bring parts of Japanese language, values, and seasonal traditions into U.S life. In this way, cherry blossoms act as a cultural bridge, helping Americans experience and appreciate Japanese culture.