As dozens of cherry blossoms bloomed under a clear, warm Saturday sky, hundreds gathered at the Oregon State Capitol for the Cherry Blossom Day Festival, an annual springtime celebration of Japanese culture here in the Pacific Northwest.
Senate Bill 146 was passed in 2017 designating the third Saturday in March as Cherry Blossom Day in Salem. Cherry Blossom Day at the Capitol, taking place this year on March 18, was created to celebrate the cherry blossom trees on the Capitol Mall, and organically became a celebration of the Japanese cultural influence in Oregon due to the significance of the cherry blossom (Sakura) to their community.