Our annual Cherry Blossom Festival (sakura matsuri) is held in spring each year at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
We have a variety of performances, food, and Japanese cultural activities to add to your Hanami (flower viewing) experience!
Cherry Blossoms, or sakura, only bloom for a few weeks each year. In Japanese culture, sakura represent mortality and remind viewers of the beauty and transience of life. Thousands of people flock to parks in Japan to see the blossoms. We are lucky to have cherry trees all over Alabama that bloom each Spring. We encourage everyone to venture outside this month to appreciate the cherry blossoms!
The 16th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival was held on April 1 at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The festival attracted more than 3,000 people from all over Alabama. People enjoyed a beautiful sunny day with Japanese cultural activities, food, music, and performances at the Japanese Gardens. JASA welcomed Consul General Maeda, Birmingham City Council President Wardine Alexander, Daikin Taiko Force, Hiroya Tsukamoto and more! It was the first in-person Cherry Blossom Festival since 2019 and was a meaningful cultural celebration for people in Alabama, especially the Birmingham and Central Alabama Japanese communities. We sincerely appreciate everyone involved: sponsors, Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, volunteers, performers, and vendors for making this happen. We look forward to seeing you again next year! |
SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)10:00 – 10:30 Opening Ceremony - Remarks from Japan-America Society of Alabama, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, City of Birmingham, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta 10:45 – 11:15 Briarwood Japanese Children’s Club Performance 11:30 – 12:00 Shinkendo of Birmingham 12:15 – 12:45 LeRon Harrison Gagaku Music Performance 1:15 – 2:00 Daikin Taiko Force 2:30 – 3:15 Hiroya Tsukamoto 3:30 – 4:00 Closing Remarks | Guests and activitiesAlabama Bonsai Society, Asha Kiran, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham Quilter's Guild, Briarwood Japanese Children's Club, Calligraphy, Chiharu Roach, Civil Stoneware, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta, Daikin Taiko Force, Glitter Critter Studios, Hiroya Tsukamoto, Holbein Pottery,
Hometown Supermarket, LeRon Harrison, Nori Thai and Sushi, Origami, PaperWorkers Local, Shinkendo of Birmingham, UAB Japanese Culture Club, Urasenke Birmingham Association |
Mr. Kozo Matsuda