Bowling Green State University will celebrate the Ohanami, or Cherry Blossom
Festival, Saturday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in 101 Olscamp Hall.
Guests can try Japanese calligraphy, origami and traditional games, and enjoy
performances of taiko drums, koto music and martial arts, along with Japanese
refreshments.
The event is free and open to the public.
On hand will be the Consulate General of Japan from Detroit, along with BGSU
President Mary Ellen Mazey.
It’s been 100 years since first lady Helen Taft accepted a gift of cherry blossom
trees from Japan as a token of friendship in thanks for President Taft’s support
during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. Three of BGSU’s 50 cherry trees are
direct descendants of the Washington, D.C., trees. The cuttings were donated to
BGSU by the National Parks Service and U.S. National Arboretum and were nurtured
at the Schedel Arboretum and Gardens in Elmore. BGSU is the only institution in
the country to be given the original cuttings.
The campus’s other 50 Yoshino cherry blossom trees were donated by BGSU alumni
residing in Japan.
The festival is sponsored by the BGSU Japanese Club with support from the Asian
Studies Program, the Alumni Association and the Center for Multicultural and
Academic Initiatives.
For more information, contact Akiko Jones at (419) 372-7136 or [email protected].