BIG weekend in Brooklyn – the cherry blossoms are in BLOOM. Glory be. A line will stretch from the gardens to the library at Grand Army Plaza — anxious onlookers eager to see the TREES. But that’s the way it always is. Unless it rains. And then it won’t be so very crowded. But even in the rain there’s a crowd. If you’re a member you can usually walk right in. This from New York 1.
It’s confirmation that yes, it is springtime in New York – Brooklyn, to
be exact – hundreds of blooming cherry trees, right off of Flatbush
Avenue."It’s spectacular, it’s like the whole garden is filled with pink
right now. It’s beautiful," says Anita Jacobs of the Brooklyn Botanic
Garden.And that beauty will be the backdrop for Sakura Matsuri – the
Japanese celebration of the cherry blossom at the Brooklyn Botanic
Garden – with a variety of performances featuring Japanese Culture,
from the power of taiko drumming to the grace of the colorful flower
hat dance, which looks much better without my involvement.Plus, see a kimono fashion show. And what would a cherry blossom festival be without Samurai Sword fighting?
"Everytime you grab your sword and see your opponent, what helps
you is your mind and spirit," says Samurai Sword Soul’s Yoshihisa
Kuwayama.Samurai Sword Soul will recreate one of the legendary samurai
warrior battles, kind of like Ali-Fraizer, but with swords instead of
gloves."If you are Japanese, everyone know this story, the big fight
between Musashi Miyamoto and Kojiro Sasaki," says Samurai Sword Soul’s
Yoshi Amao.The entertainment is not all traditional Japanese. Gajin a Go Go
are based in Brooklyn and play groovy 60’s style music with a Japanese
twist."We actually have a song too called Omeditto, which means celebrate, so we are expecting to perform that," says Kiku Komonalisa.
If you hang around this place long enough this time of year, you
start forgetting you are in Brooklyn and you actually think you are in
Japan. If you want more information about the Cherry Blossom Festival,
check out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Website at www.bbg.org.One piece of advice, enjoy the samurai sword show, but don’t challenge the guys to a fight. It can get really tiring.