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In 1912, the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo transformed springtime in Washington, D.C., into a blizzard of white sakura. War and economic rivalries have come and gone, but the trees stand--and now Nashville means to create a similar symbolic bond with Japan, the state's largest overseas investor. Each year for the next 10 years, the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival Committee will plant 100 cherry trees to provide a backdrop for this projected annual event. Hiroshi Sato, consul-general of Japan, and Mayor Karl Dean are among the dignitaries attending the planting ceremony 2 p.m. Saturday on the downtown Courthouse square, featuring a free performance by the Japanese drumming group Kaminari Taiko. Celebrate early by seeing Japanese animation giant Hayao Miyazaki's gorgeous children's film My Neighbor Totoro Saturday morning at The Belcourt, or attend Monday's showing of the biopic Zen at Vanderbilt's Sarratt Cinema.
Sat., April 18, 2 p.m., 2009
Sat., April 18, 2 p.m., 2009
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