We kick off our “Behind the Scenes” Virtual Tour Series with a peek inside the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. An expert guide will lead us around the house, the gardens, and to the pond to see the koi and we’ll get a sneak peek of the plans for the “Shofuso Cherry Blossom Viewing: Virtual Ohanami” an online version of their popular perennial festival.

Every year when the cherry trees bloom, friends and family gather under the blossoms to have flower-viewing picnics called “Ohanami” in Japan. Pick up a Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Ohanami map at Shofuso (opens on March 20th), and plan your own Ohanami picnic to treat yourself with the simple pleasure of sitting outdoors and watching the delicate petals float on the spring breeze while enjoying fresh air under the blooming cherry trees around Philadelphia.

Flowering cherry trees is also a symbol of friendship between Philadelphia and Japan since 1,600 cherry trees were gifted from Japan to Philadelphia in 1926 to commemorate the American Sesquicentennial. In 1933, Japanese residents of the Philadelphia region gifted additional 500 cherry trees and planted them alongside John B. Kelly Drive. The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia organized to plant 1,000 new cherry trees in Philadelphia between 1998 and 2007. JASGP has been working with neighborhood communities continuously since 2008 to plant cherry trees in Clark Park, Franklin Square and Morris Park to help build green and peaceful urban communities.