WIT Life #197: DC Sakura Matsuri, Part 2
Art, Food & Drink, Travel/Tourism, WIT Life, Writers 
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WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Today is the big parade to celebrate the centennial sakura matsuri, but unfortunately all the blooms are long gone. However, the festival goes through the end of the month, so for those who find themselves in DC there are plenty of Japan-related activities to keep you entertained. I had a chance to sample many of them this week, the first of which I’d recommend being the National Geographic Museum’s samurai exhibit running through early September.
It shares the history of how the now legendary cherry trees made their way to DC, as well as displays unique items such as swords and armor that were gifted from Japan to American presidents such as Ulysses Grant and Teddy Roosevelt. My favorite section was the black and white photos of samurai in a photo studio run by a Westerner. It captures them in their garb during behind-the-scenes moments, giving you insight into the people they were behind the armor.
Some other exhibits not to be missed are the National Gallery of Art’s Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird and Flower Paintings by Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800), on display until April 29. This collection of 30 scrolls is amazingly vivid in color, depicting not only birds and flowers but in some cases fish, insects and palm trees. Jakuchu seems to be obsessed with roosters (some in “kabuki-like poses”), and according to one description I learned that “In Zen Buddhism, images of the rooster’s piercing cry were associated with spiritual awakening.” (Go figure! I could have used this information when I was in Kauai earlier this year, being woken up an at ungodly hour each morning by these enlightened roosters.)
After that make sure to check out the Hokusai Japanese screens at the Freer Gallery (through July 29), followed by the 36 Views of Mount Fuji from Hokusai at the nearby Sackler Gallery (through June 17). The latter also features a display called Kano Kazunobu’s Masters of Mercy: Buddha’s Amazing Disciples, fantastical paintings which share the lives of Buddha’s 500 disciples, making their debut outside of Japan for the first time (as do the Jakuchu scrolls).
And if all this consum
ption of Japanese culture has you wanting to consume some Japanese food along with your art, look no further than the cherry blossom roll ( 桜巻き?) at Fujimar. At $17.60 it costs a bit more than your standard roll, but it is definitely worth it. It combines cherry-flavored rice, avocado, tamago, cucumber and crab in a pink soy bean wrapper, with three cherries on top and leaf-shaped avocado slices on the side. Its sweetness is just the right amount, and the flavors were powerful enough for it to be eaten with or without soy sauce.
For those whose sweet tooth is not satisfied by the cherry blossom roll, many local restaurants are featuring special cherry themed desserts during the duration of the festival (through the 27th of this month). My one regret is not having had time to try the cherry-chocolate bread pudding at one of my favorite DC restaurants, Founding Farmers, but there’s always next year!
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