First Day of Golden Week - April 29 2012

Golden Week in Japan kicks off this 2012 with Showa Day. Showa Day is a Japanese annual holiday held on April 29th. 

This holiday originally celebrated the birthday of the Showa Emperor, Hirohito, who reined from 1926 to 1989. After his death in 1989, the April 29th became Greenery Day, as well as the opening holiday of Golden Week. Beginning in 2000, after a series of failed legislative attempts, Greenery Day was moved to May 4th and in 2007, April 29th was renamed Showa Day. The purpose of this day is to encourage  public reflection of Hirohito's reign. This turbulent 63-year period saw the end of Taisho Democracy, the rise of Fascism, World War II, the post-war occupation, the rise of Japan as an industrial economic power, and more. 

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Golden Week in Japan Apr 29 - May 5

Golden Week in Japan is right around the corner! This is one of the longest, most popular holiday periods. Golden Week consists of a group of national holidays in Japan stretching from April 29th to May 5th. The origin of Golden Week was simply  the movie industry's attempt to give people more time to go to the movies, calling it a "golden opportunity." 


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Golden Week 2012 promises a full week of exciting events and holidays. The week opens up with Midori no Hi, Green Day, on April 29th. April 29th was the birthday of Emperor Hirohito, from the Showa period. He was very passionate about environmental issues and a lover of nature, so following his death in 1989, April 29th became Midori no Hi, to honor nature and the environment. 


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The week continues with Kenpo Kinebi, Constitution Day, on May 3rd to celebrate  (from May 3, 1947) the new post-war constitution becoming law. May 4th celebrates Kokumin no Kyujitsu, or "Between Day." This national holiday was created recently in order to make Golden Week a continuous period of celebration. The week of excitement is concluded on May 5th with Kodomo no Hi, or Children's Day. This holiday was originally Boys Day, called Tango no Sekku. Families who had boys would celebrate by flying koi nobody, or carp streamers and gogatsu ninny, or May dolls. Now all children celebrate this day, not just boys, with special foods such as rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and mochi wrapped in oak leaves. 

Celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with us in May

The upcoming month of May is a very exciting time! As of May 1992, the month of May was designated "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month." This month is used to celebrate the culture, traditions, and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A slightly broad term, Asia-Pacific includes all of the Asian continent, and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island). 


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Originally, the holiday was only a week. In 1978 a bill to commemorate Asian American Heritage week was passed by a joint Congressional Resolution. The first week of May was chosen because the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to American was on May 7, 1843 in addition to the completion of the transcontinental railroad, done by many Chinese laborers, was on May 10, 1869. Congress voted to expand it from a week to a month in 1990, and in 1992 it was permanently designated as a month long celebration in May. 


To learn more about the author of this article Eileen Wacker and her acclaimed book series,  visit ONCEKids, ONCEKids on Facebook,  ONCEKids on Twitter.

National Cherry Blossom Festival until April 27

There is lots going on this month with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival, located in Washington, D.C., began March 20 and goes till April 27.

Be sure not to miss the nation's premier springtime parade on Saturday, April 14 from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm! Due to popular demand, the Festival is releasing additional grandstand tickets for the parade. Performers and icons including Tamagawa University taiko drummers and dancers, returning for their 7th year, as well as the Yamakiya Taiko Club from Fukushima, Japan will be present at the festival. 10 marching bands, including the first ever Blossom All Star Band, will be at the parade as well. The Blossom All Star Band will be featuring 350 members from 12 marching bands across the country.


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To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Gift of Trees to Washington, D.C., the Arise Galley has put on an exhibit known as the "100 Years of Kimono." This exhibit will display unique and breathtaking kimono, as well as other Japanese textiles starting in 1880 and going over a 100-year period. The focus of the exhibit is to demonstrate the beauty of the textiles as well as the story they tell of Japanese culture and history. The exhibit goes through April 30th and is free of charge! 


To learn more about the author of this article Eileen Wacker and her acclaimed book series,  visit ONCEKids, ONCEKids on Facebook,  ONCEKids on Twitter.

Also, keep an eye out for Cherry Blast, returning this year on April 21. Cherry Blast is an art of music dance party for ages 21 and over, with tickets just $10. The multimedia party takes over 15,000 square feet at the Lightbox in Anacostia. The party includes aerial dancers, art from the Temporary Public Art Projects, art activation coordinated by Vestibule, a pop up cafe from Busboys and Poets, and more!  

A Washington DC Story: Preservation of the Original Cherry Trees

The original pink and white cherry blossoms that decorate the nation's capital have managed to survive for a century. It has been 100 years since the wife of the Japanese ambassador, Viscountess Chinda, and first lady, Helen Taft, planted two Yoshino cherry trees along the bank of Washington's Tidal Basin. After that 3,000 were planted as a gift from Tokyo to symbolize friendship. Despite being worn out from age, the original pair still stands, along with about 100 of the original trees. 

Special care has been taken by the National Park Service in order to preserve the original trees, including pruning and watering them to keep them alive as long as possible. In high traffic areas, cherry trees typically live about 60 years. Most trees hit their peak bloom this week during the season of spring. 


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The National Cherry Blossom Festival has dozens of events and exhibits and runs through April 27th. The first set of trees was infested and diseased, so agricultural officials were forced to burn them. Two years later, the Japanese sent 3,000 trees to try again. These trees arrived in good condition and the original planting was re-enacted in 1927. 1935 brought the first "Cherry Blossom Festival."


To learn more about the author of this article Eileen Wacker and her acclaimed book series,  visit ONCEKids, ONCEKids on Facebook,  ONCEKids on Twitter.

In 1977, the arboretum produced 500 new trees from the original line so replacements for the Tidal Basin Trees would be provided. Clones have also been saved so there is a permanent genetic repository of the original trees. Recently, the arboretum sent 120 clones of the original trees to Japan so they can also retain the genetic line. A set of trees has also been sent to Pittsburgh to be planted in parks there.