April 2, 2023, Red Wing Park, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Welcome, Spring. After reviving this blog a year ago and documenting visits to some of my favorite areas across the state of Virginia, I had to pause again and take care of home life matters during the colder season. It didn’t snow in our area, and from some early warm weather (that didn’t stay warm), some flowers started blooming early. One of the most beloved flowering trees that appear early in tidal Virginia is the Sakura (Cherry blossom tree) which is indigenous to Japan (and Japan’s national tree), and has been planted extensively around Washington, DC. In Hampton Roads, the significant Sakura Grove is in Redwing Park, Virginia Beach, near the oceanfront area. These trees were planted in 2005 and 2010 as a gift from the city of Miyazaki, Japan as part of their sister city relationship. The park, which also has a Japanese Garden, hosts the Cherry blossom festival yearly each early spring.
Sakura blooms are celebrated across Japan to mark the coming of spring. Blossom viewing is a major activity, with different areas observing their peak blooms from week to week beginning in March, and different festivals occurring up the coast through the season.
The Virginia Beach festival currently goes for two weekends and includes the days between. This year is the first time I’ve been able to attend this or any of the cherry blossom festivals. I bring my nieces (my sister’s teenager and 8-year old) for the afternoon.
It’s endearing to share this park with so many others who like to immerse themselves in flowers. Like my fanaticism with blooming Rhododendron in the mountain summer, people walk down the Sakura lane in elegant clothing, white-pink Yoshino flower petals blowing in the breeze across the path, into their hair, as they pose for photos. The blooms are already past their peak on this last day of the festival, and high winds yesterday probably added to the collection of fallen flowers.
Because of their short “cloudlike” bloom period and their intense beauty, the sakura in Japan has been associated with the transience of life and acceptance of destiny. There is a traditional practice of drinking and eating under the blooming sakura (hanami), as well as springtime cherry-blossom parties, and the trees have inspired much art and haiku through the centuries.
More information can be found here and here about sakura or cherry blossom trees. The yoshino (“good luck- field”) is the hybrid cultivar, planted around North America and Europe in the 20th century, and named for the Yoshino area, Nara prefecture, Japan, where it was first cultivated. There is a mountain, Mount Yoshino, with around 30,000 sakura planted at varying altitudes (and therefore different bloom periods) as well as several religious shrines. It is worth noting that these trees do not usually bear fruit.
Japanese barley tea is being served in the garden. Here are the tea servers in front of the azumaya.
snow-like petals fall
-Kayla Phu
descending on your loved ones
sakura means love
In the park, there are a number of haiku about sakura written by different people, posted on signs. I enjoy them, particularly the two in these photos, and I believe 10-year old Arlette is local to Virginia Beach.
pink and perfect friend
-Arlette C, age 10
swaying in the gentle wind
dance with me all day
About Miyazaki city and it’s sister relationship with Virginia Beach
"Give your sister some candy." Ok, Mom. Can I give her 200 cherry trees too? (secretly wishing she had some bald cypress)
Virginia Beach and Miyazaki City were designated Sister Cities in 1992. Both lie on southeastern coasts of their respective countries, each with approximately the same population, according to cherryblossomvb.com.
The Miyazaki Japanese Garden in Red Wing Park was created in 1997, to mark 5 years of the cities’ relationship. In 2005, 150 cherry trees were planted in the park, as an extension of the garden, followed by 55 more trees in 2010. Finally, the azumaya, the 4-pillared open-walled structure in the garden where the tea ceremony occurs, was built and dedicated in 2012.
So what did Miyazaki give to VB?
According to vbsca.org, Miyazaki City created “Virginia Beach Square” in four blocks of downtown which includes a replica of Cape Henry Lighthouse in a park green space. Additionally, there is a well-established student exchange program between the two cities. This doesn’t seem like much, but then I don’t know much about Sister Cities programs.
It turns out a number of US Cities, particularly on the West Coast, have Sister Cities in Japan.
Los Angeles and Nagoya have a Sisterhood dating to 1959; Oakland and Fukuoka have been connected since 1962. Seattle designates Kobe as one of its Sister Cities (since 1957); for Tacoma, Washington, it is Kitakyushu (since 1959). When I was visiting San Diego, in Balboa Park I read a sign celebrating the city’s Sisterhood with Yokohama, Japan (since 1957) and this relationship seems to be especially active. They all have a common goal of promoting cultural exchange between the cities and in some cases, the nations they represent – for example, the planting of Yoshino cherry trees as a symbol of peace and friendship between the USA and Japan.
So here’s to peaceful relations, arts, education, business, and sakura.
This is the traditional Japanese folk song “sakura sakura.” The melody existed in the Edo period (before 1868) and the lyrics developed in the Meiji Period, beginning in 1868.
Below is a new song by the Japanese pop group Rin (the name means “ring”) which may be an update of the traditional song.
The maps above show the locations of Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach and of Miyazaki City.
Until next time,
Arianna (starri ari)
arianna's creative travels 
