Weekend Plans
http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390
This weekend I'm going to try to go to both the Parade and the Japanese Street Festival:
SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2010 at 10 AM
We invite you to attend one of Washington's most exciting traditions -- the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade® on Saturday, April 10 from 10am - noon, rain or shine. The Parade runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, NW, and will be featured in a live simulcast on ABC 7/ WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8. Giant colorful balloons, marching bands, and performers will burst down Constitution Avenue in an energy-filled spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Bands, floats, celebrities and so much more! Hosts for the Parade are ABC 7 and NewsChannel 8 anchors Doug McKelway, Alison Starling and Natasha Barrett. 97.1 WASH-FM’s Loo Katz and Lori Brooks will be on hand as
grandstand announcers.
ENTERTAINMENT: A spectacle of stars greets the 100,000-plus spectators who gather for the largest event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Entertainers include a cast of three from Ford's Theatre's production of "Little Shop of Horrors" featuring Audrey, Jr., the Venus flytrap. "Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies" from Arena Stage stars Broadway legend Maurice
Hines and presents the big-band sounds from the Roaring Twenties to the Swing Era. American Idol finalist Justin Gaurini and R&B vocalist Deborah Cox both sing. The family band Shae Laurel presents Irish fast fiddling and contemporary music that has thrilled audiences around the world. Direct from Virginia is 2010 Miss America Carissa Cameron, whose musical talents helped secure her crown.
Giant balloons include Kermit the Frog, Elmo, cherry blossoms, and Japanese lanterns. Rounding out the entertainment, the Youth Choir and All-Star Tap Team showcase the talent of approximately 750 and 350 youths from around the country, respectively. Marching bands keep the beat and excite the crowd, including local favorites Robert R. Gray Elementary School from Prince George’s County and DC’s Ballou High School. Additional bands bring their sounds from far and wide, including The Legends Community Marching Band from the Bahamas. The Tamagawa University Drummers from Tokyo play percussion, and Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko performs Taiko drumming.
The Festival has once again teamed up for a special offer with Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. The wax museum is offering $5.00 admission (a $15.00 savings) to all grandstand seating ticket holders who present their ticket stub through May 15, 2010. Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. is prominently located on the corner of 10th and F streets, NW.
The Parade is made possible by the National Park Service, Washington Convention and Sports Authority, ABC 7/ WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8, and supported by segment sponsor State Farm, The Washington Examiner, Safeway, 97.1 WASH FM, the D.C. Government’s D.C. Emancipation Day Fund, Comcast, McDonald’s, Amtrak, Washington Regional Transplant, CBS Outdoor, the Newseum, Madame Tussauds Washington D.C., Post Apartment Homes, and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment.
TICKETS: Prime viewing grandstand seats are now on sale (click here for more information); standing elsewhere along the Parade route (Constitution Avenue between 9th and 15th streets, NW) is free and open to the public.
TRANSPORTATION: Take Metro to Navy Memorial on the Yellow/Green lines or Federal Triangle on the Blue/Orange lines.
What's to See and Do
The Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival is the largest one-day exhibition of Japanese culture in the United States.
Japanese food and beer, sake, music and dance, arts and crafts, anime and manga, taiko drums, samurai swordsmen, ikebana and bonsai, karate, judo, sumo, aikido, sudoku. No matter what, if it’s Japanese, it’s at the Sakura Matsuri.
Now in its 50th year, Sakura Matsuri stretches for six square blocks through downtown DC. It takes place on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, right after the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, Sakura Matsuri is centered at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, with easy access from the Metro Federal Triangle stop and Metro Center.
“Last year the Matsuri drew over 160,000 visitors,” said Ambassador John R. Malott, President of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC. “That’s because it’s fun, it’s free, and it’s family-friendly. The parade and the Sakura Matsuri make a great double-header, and they’re a fantastic way to spend the day.”
Sakura Matsuri has over 30 hours of live performances on five stages. Reiko Hirai of Happi Enterprises, Sakura Matsuri’s Creative Director, is bringing more Japanese performers than ever to the Street Festival. “We have five groups coming in from Japan, and an entire bus-load of Japanese performers from New York City,” Ms Hirai said. “The taiko and dance group from Tamagawa University in Tokyo is back, and we have our great local performers, too.”
The Ginza Marketplace sells traditional Japanese products, and J-Pop Land has products and activities that celebrate Japan’s modern, youthful culture, from pop music to anime and fashion. Four Matsuri Markets sell a wide variety of soft drinks from Coca-Cola, as well as Ito-en Tea, Honest Tea, and Japanese snacks.
The Children’s Corner has doubled in size this year to 1,600 square feet. It’s an interactive hands-on area where volunteers from the JET Alumni Association introduce a variety of traditional Japanese activities, from origami (Japanese paper-folding) to Japanese games, language, and story-telling.
I also plan to finish up my resume, clean up the room, do some stuff for work, go to the library, go to the grocery store, type up some notes from a library book, and play on the computer.
I would like to play Zelda:Twilight Princess, Kingdom Hearts I, watch both of the Christian Bale Batman movies, Inkheart, and watch a bunch of Justice League. Maybe I had too much caffeine today (over twice what I usually drink) but I predict most of this plan to be unrealistic!
At least the weather has cooled down and is no longer in the 90's or even high 80s, in fact tomorrow's high is only 63. I'll have to remember to pack my sunblock and a hat for tomorrow if I really intend to see the parade. I can't go to the zoo until after the Cherry Blossom Festival ends this weekend, so I hope to go next Saturday. Each morning Metro announces, "Due to overcrowding at the National Zoo please utilize Cleveland Park Metro Station, it is only a short walk to the Zoo from Cleveland Park." Oi!
Also, I have plans to finally buy the Japanese DS Dictionary with my Tax Return! Yay! http://www.jbox.com/PRODUCT/DS3516 I've wanted it for years, and it's supposed to be a decent equivalent to the $300+ electronic dictionary. I would have done much better in my Japanese class if I hadn't had to use the paperback Kanji Dictionary - it could take me 20 minutes just to figure out the word! I figure that this "game" is only going to get more expensive as time goes by, and Amazon.com wants a minimum of $90 for it. Yikes!
This weekend I'm going to try to go to both the Parade and the Japanese Street Festival:
SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 2010 at 10 AM
We invite you to attend one of Washington's most exciting traditions -- the 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade® on Saturday, April 10 from 10am - noon, rain or shine. The Parade runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, NW, and will be featured in a live simulcast on ABC 7/ WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8. Giant colorful balloons, marching bands, and performers will burst down Constitution Avenue in an energy-filled spectacle of music and showmanship seen only once a year during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Bands, floats, celebrities and so much more! Hosts for the Parade are ABC 7 and NewsChannel 8 anchors Doug McKelway, Alison Starling and Natasha Barrett. 97.1 WASH-FM’s Loo Katz and Lori Brooks will be on hand as
grandstand announcers.
ENTERTAINMENT: A spectacle of stars greets the 100,000-plus spectators who gather for the largest event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Entertainers include a cast of three from Ford's Theatre's production of "Little Shop of Horrors" featuring Audrey, Jr., the Venus flytrap. "Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies" from Arena Stage stars Broadway legend Maurice
Hines and presents the big-band sounds from the Roaring Twenties to the Swing Era. American Idol finalist Justin Gaurini and R&B vocalist Deborah Cox both sing. The family band Shae Laurel presents Irish fast fiddling and contemporary music that has thrilled audiences around the world. Direct from Virginia is 2010 Miss America Carissa Cameron, whose musical talents helped secure her crown.
Giant balloons include Kermit the Frog, Elmo, cherry blossoms, and Japanese lanterns. Rounding out the entertainment, the Youth Choir and All-Star Tap Team showcase the talent of approximately 750 and 350 youths from around the country, respectively. Marching bands keep the beat and excite the crowd, including local favorites Robert R. Gray Elementary School from Prince George’s County and DC’s Ballou High School. Additional bands bring their sounds from far and wide, including The Legends Community Marching Band from the Bahamas. The Tamagawa University Drummers from Tokyo play percussion, and Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko performs Taiko drumming.
The Festival has once again teamed up for a special offer with Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. The wax museum is offering $5.00 admission (a $15.00 savings) to all grandstand seating ticket holders who present their ticket stub through May 15, 2010. Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. is prominently located on the corner of 10th and F streets, NW.
The Parade is made possible by the National Park Service, Washington Convention and Sports Authority, ABC 7/ WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8, and supported by segment sponsor State Farm, The Washington Examiner, Safeway, 97.1 WASH FM, the D.C. Government’s D.C. Emancipation Day Fund, Comcast, McDonald’s, Amtrak, Washington Regional Transplant, CBS Outdoor, the Newseum, Madame Tussauds Washington D.C., Post Apartment Homes, and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment.
TICKETS: Prime viewing grandstand seats are now on sale (click here for more information); standing elsewhere along the Parade route (Constitution Avenue between 9th and 15th streets, NW) is free and open to the public.
TRANSPORTATION: Take Metro to Navy Memorial on the Yellow/Green lines or Federal Triangle on the Blue/Orange lines.
What's to See and Do
The Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival is the largest one-day exhibition of Japanese culture in the United States.
Japanese food and beer, sake, music and dance, arts and crafts, anime and manga, taiko drums, samurai swordsmen, ikebana and bonsai, karate, judo, sumo, aikido, sudoku. No matter what, if it’s Japanese, it’s at the Sakura Matsuri.
Now in its 50th year, Sakura Matsuri stretches for six square blocks through downtown DC. It takes place on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, right after the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, Sakura Matsuri is centered at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, with easy access from the Metro Federal Triangle stop and Metro Center.
“Last year the Matsuri drew over 160,000 visitors,” said Ambassador John R. Malott, President of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC. “That’s because it’s fun, it’s free, and it’s family-friendly. The parade and the Sakura Matsuri make a great double-header, and they’re a fantastic way to spend the day.”
Sakura Matsuri has over 30 hours of live performances on five stages. Reiko Hirai of Happi Enterprises, Sakura Matsuri’s Creative Director, is bringing more Japanese performers than ever to the Street Festival. “We have five groups coming in from Japan, and an entire bus-load of Japanese performers from New York City,” Ms Hirai said. “The taiko and dance group from Tamagawa University in Tokyo is back, and we have our great local performers, too.”
The Ginza Marketplace sells traditional Japanese products, and J-Pop Land has products and activities that celebrate Japan’s modern, youthful culture, from pop music to anime and fashion. Four Matsuri Markets sell a wide variety of soft drinks from Coca-Cola, as well as Ito-en Tea, Honest Tea, and Japanese snacks.
The Children’s Corner has doubled in size this year to 1,600 square feet. It’s an interactive hands-on area where volunteers from the JET Alumni Association introduce a variety of traditional Japanese activities, from origami (Japanese paper-folding) to Japanese games, language, and story-telling.
I also plan to finish up my resume, clean up the room, do some stuff for work, go to the library, go to the grocery store, type up some notes from a library book, and play on the computer.
I would like to play Zelda:Twilight Princess, Kingdom Hearts I, watch both of the Christian Bale Batman movies, Inkheart, and watch a bunch of Justice League. Maybe I had too much caffeine today (over twice what I usually drink) but I predict most of this plan to be unrealistic!
At least the weather has cooled down and is no longer in the 90's or even high 80s, in fact tomorrow's high is only 63. I'll have to remember to pack my sunblock and a hat for tomorrow if I really intend to see the parade. I can't go to the zoo until after the Cherry Blossom Festival ends this weekend, so I hope to go next Saturday. Each morning Metro announces, "Due to overcrowding at the National Zoo please utilize Cleveland Park Metro Station, it is only a short walk to the Zoo from Cleveland Park." Oi!
Also, I have plans to finally buy the Japanese DS Dictionary with my Tax Return! Yay! http://www.jbox.com/PRODUCT/DS3516 I've wanted it for years, and it's supposed to be a decent equivalent to the $300+ electronic dictionary. I would have done much better in my Japanese class if I hadn't had to use the paperback Kanji Dictionary - it could take me 20 minutes just to figure out the word! I figure that this "game" is only going to get more expensive as time goes by, and Amazon.com wants a minimum of $90 for it. Yikes!