Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 (April 7, 2018)

April 9, 2018

 
On April 7, the annual Cherry Blossom Festival took place in Amstelveen, co-organized by Amsterdam InBusiness, the Dutch and Japanese Trade Federation (DUJAT), the Japan Women’s Club (JWC), the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Netherlands (JCC), and the Embassy of Japan.

In the large tent set up at the Cherry Blossom Park in the Amsterdamse Bos, Mayor of Amstelveen Mr. Eenhoorn and Ambassador Inomata held speeches after being invited onto the stage by Mr. Ter Avest, the Honorary Consul-General of Japan in Amsterdam and the event’s master of ceremonies. Following the speeches, Mr. Yamazaki, the vice-president of the JCC, proposed a toast to open the festival.

Before the opening ceremony, Mayor Eenhoorn and Ambassador Inomata offered flowers and a moment of silence at the memorial monument near the venue, which is dedicated to the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake.

For the opening ceremony, there were performances on stage by a Taiko drum group, a Japanese choir and a Japanese dancer. Afterwards, the festival was opened to the public. Visitors could enjoy a great variety of stands with, among other things, Japanese food (takoyaki, taiyaki, okonomiyaki, sushi, Japanese tea and more) and Japanese culture (Ikebana, Origami, Go, Aikido demonstrations and Bonsai workshops).