One hundred and twelve years after the Japanese government gifted the United States two thousand cherry trees as a symbol of friendship between the two nations, representatives from the Japanese embassy and ANA Airlines donated five cherry trees that will bloom on Whitman’s own campus.  

Japanese language teacher Yukiyo Moorman and her students welcomed representatives from the Japanese embassy and ANA Airlines for a planting ceremony and presentation in the commons this afternoon. 

The National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF) selected Whitman as one of five local educational institutions to participate in its Neighborhood Tree Planting Program, a community outreach initiative that aims to foster new cherry blossom traditions to schools with active Japanese language and culture programs. A National Cherry Blossom Festival arborist planted five cherry blossom trees on the lawn outside the doors of the new building on Nov. 10. 

Japanese language student Elena Harrison, a senior, believes that the cherry trees will connect the Whitman community with Japanese culture.

“It’s important for Whitman to have these cherry blossom trees because it represents a union between our school and Japan,” Harrison said. “As Whitman’s goal is to help expose its students to various different cultures, these Sakura trees are a step in the right direction.”

Whitman received Okami and Yoshino cherry trees; the Okami trees are set to blossom in late February and early March, while the Yoshino trees will bloom in time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in April. 

“The hope for the trees is to bring joy to the student body and serve as a reminder of how beautiful our lives can be,” said ANA Airlines Vice President of Marketing and Sales Sawako Oda during the ceremony this afternoon.

Whitman’s Japanese language students decorated the commons with cherry blossom flower cutouts and provided light snacks for ceremony’s attendees. 

“When they bloom, students will be able to walk by them and see pretty flowers,” Harrison said. “However, at the same time they will be seeing a little piece of Japanese culture.”