Announcing the 9th Annual Sakura Fall Planting Day
Come help plant and care for the trees with us!

☆We expect to plant about 7 trees.
To help us plan, if you will volunteer please RSVP to Yoko Motoyama
(PittsburghSakuraProject@gmail.com, 412-423- 8486).
When you arrive that day, sign in at Harmony Shelter.

☆ Pittsburgh Sakura Project assumes no legal or financial liability for accidents or injuries during and after this event.

The Sakura Project joined the Japanese Nationality Room Committee of University of Pittsburgh and the Japan Association of Greater Pittsburgh to participate in the city’s bicentennial parade on July 9th, 2016. Pittsburgh was established in 1816 by immigrants like other American cities, and has grown with contributions of many ethnic immigrants since.

We were all invited to participate in the parade as ethnic groups, and the Japanese community decided to dance bon-odori dressed in yukata. The leader, Sono Hayes of Japanese Nationality Room, kept in close contact with the city and arranged a truck, a loud speaker for music, banners, two practice sessions with dance instructor, Yuko Eguchi, and yukata for those without one. She even managed to put bamboo on the truck for July 7th Tanabata decoration where we could write and hang our wishes. What a great idea! Thank you, Sono!

Our participants counted 47, including strollers and children and our group showed variety of people as well, such as Japanese immigrants who are long time Pittsburgh residents, Japanese Americans of pure Japanese descent and of mixed heritage, Japanese people temporarily residing in Pittsburgh, and people who are related to Japanese through marriage or by cultural identification. We received a lot of applause and cheers, such as “great, awesome, beautiful.” Certainly we were the largest group who supported world peace, and energy toward healthy and enjoyable life in Pittsburgh following the city’s theme of diversity and peace of past, present and future. Oh, what a day!

Here are the newspaper and video links.

• http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/07/09/pittsburgh-bicentennial-parade/
• https://youtu.be/VM53tUFNqac?t=35m8s

Japanese version of the report is available on the JAGP website.

We are excited to announce the details of this year’s Spring Flower Viewing Festival program. We are looking forward to meeting you all!
本年のお花見の詳細をお伝えいたします。
皆さまにお会いするのを楽しみにしております！

Date & Place / 日時
Date: Saturday, April 30, 2016
Time: 2-4 pm
Place: Rose Barn, Pearce Mill Rd, North Park

Program in the main hall / プログラム（メインホール）

1. Essay Contest / エッセイコンテスト
Reading of 3 best essays by the winners
Presentation of awards

2. Concert / コンサート
Koto; Jazz violin and piano

3. Japanese martial arts demonstration: Aikido / 合気道

Refreshments to follow, Downstairs / 休憩（地下）
Japanese sweet and a bowl of macha tea ($10 fee)  

4. Restaurant raffle / チャリティー福引

5. Tour of planting areas / 植樹エリアツアー

Feel free to contact us if you have questions.
ご質問などはこちらまでお寄せください。

PittsburghSakuraProject [AT] gmail.com
412-423-8486