Last year I had the honour to attend a Sakura planting event in the beautiful historical Coton orchard just outside of Cambridge. Their annual Blossom Day was organised in association with the Japan-UK Sakura project (https://japanuksakura.org/) that celebrates the friendship between Japan and the UK. It was a magical day among the old, blooming fruit trees, a real hanami with warm, spring sunshine and Japanese themed activities and demonstrations.
My contribution to the event was a community art project: I have prepared a large sheet for a cherry blossom painting, painted the trunk and branches that had to be completed with blossoms by visitors. The result was a really lovely piece of art that preserves the “ichi go ichi e” spirit of the event.
The event also drew attention to the potential negative effects of a newly planned busway that would mean a big habitat loss for local wildlife. (More info here https://www.bonkersbuswaycambs.uk/ ). And since I have a weak spot for wildlife conservation, I take this opportunity give a shout-out to Cotton buzz, too: https://www.cotonbuzz.uk/
Cambridge Independent was also present at the event, you can read their article and see my 15 minutes (milliseconds…) of fame below. (lol)
The final artwork stays with the Orchard as a memento.
