April was a peak month for cherry blossoms in both Japan and Washington, DC, with thousands gathering to celebrate the beautiful trees and the coming of spring. Florida, too, saw various blooms and Japanese events to celebrate the season.
On the last day of March, many gathered in Ft. Myers and Pensacola to watch Persona Non Grata, the film about Consul Chiune Sugihara. The Pensacola showing coincided with a fruitful Sister-City visit by students from Gero City. Mayor Hayward graciously welcomed them at City Hall on April 3rd.
In April, David Walsh was appointed as the new Honorary Consul in Orlando. Mr. Walsh is a great friend of Japan, and I look forward to working closely with him.
In Miami, I had the fortune to see some incredible work being done by Professor Dan Benetti at UM’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. I was totally taken by surprise to see flounders from Japan being successfully bred in partnership with Japanese companies.
A noteworthy event was the Japanese Culture Night at the Kampong Gardens on April 25, part of the O’ Miami Poetry Festival. Kit Pancoast Nagamura, the great granddaughter of David Fairchild who owned the Kampong estate, led a fascinating lecture on Haiku poems, after which guests explored the gardens and tried their hand at haiku. Mr. Fairchild played a special role in the planting of the cherry trees in Washington, DC, and inspired his great granddaughter’s love of Japanese culture. Haiku can be written during any season – why not write one and share it with us?
If you missed these events, you still have time to catch a festival this weekend (Miami Beach Botanical Gardens Japanese Spring Festival on April 30th) and other events in Miami, Gulf Breeze and Tallahassee in May.
Finally, as the days grow increasingly warmer, another beautiful flower – wisteria – is beginning to bloom in Japan. One of the many reasons to visit Japan in May!