Postcards from the Washington, DC Cherry Blossom Festival

I’ve visited Washington, DC a few times since moving to the US, but this was my first time experiencing the magic of cherry blossom season. If you’ve ever wondered why DC is bursting with Japanese cherry trees (called sakura in Japanese), here’s a fun bit of history: back in 1912, Japan gifted the US over 3,000 of them as a gesture of friendship. The first batch didn’t quite go as planned; turns out most of the trees were infested with bugs (yikes).. so Japan graciously sent over a second shipment! You can read more about it here.

Cherry Blossom trees by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Most of the cherry blossom trees circling the Tidal Basin are Yoshino cherry trees which produce white blossoms, as pictured above.

There were a few trees I noticed that had significantly pinker color. I’m not sure if they’re also Yoshino trees—or if they’re of a different variety—but I thought they were beautiful!

Pictured in the background is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which sits on the opposite end of the Tidal Basin as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.