WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — Every spring, cherry trees along D.C.’s Tidal Basin reach peak bloom, drawing visitors from around the world to see one of the nation’s most recognizable seasonal displays.
The cherry blossoms symbolize more than a century of friendship between the United States and Japan — a relationship that began with Japan’s gift of more than 3,000 cherry trees in the early 1900s and continues with new plantings today.
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“It’s the time of year I look forward to more than any other,” said Mike Litterst, chief of communications for the National Park Service’s National Mall and Memorial Parks. “I say: ‘I am the Lorax. I speak for the cherry trees.’”
The National Park Service (NPS) cares for the thousands of cherry trees around the Tidal Basin – and the cherry trees even predate NPS.
Cherry blossoms reach peak bloom around the D.C. Tidal Basin on March 28, 2025. (Winston Rogers/ 7News)
Japan first sent about 2,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C. in 1910 as a symbol of friendship, but the trees arrived infested with insects and disease and had to be destroyed.
“The diplomatic sort of finagling and the diplomacy of ‘We thank you for this international gift of friendship, we torched them last week, could we maybe get some more?’” Litterst told 7News. “Those conversations take place, and the Japanese not only replace the gift, they actually provide more.”
Two years later, in 1912, Japan sent 3,020 cherry trees. The first two were planted along the Tidal Basin by Viscountess Chinda, the wife of the Japanese ambassador, and First Lady Helen Taft, marking the start of what would become one of D.C.’s most celebrated traditions.
The exchange of trees and cuttings has continued for decades, even after periods of conflict between the two nations.
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“We have gifted them cherry trees and cuttings of original cherry trees over the years, most notably following World War II,” Litterst said. “We helped some of the Japanese cities that had been damaged or destroyed in the war. We helped them repopulate some of their trees with cuttings from the trees the Japanese had given us.”
People stopped to take photos of some blooming cherry blossoms near the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C. on March 21, 2025. (Winston Rogers/ 7News)
This year, Japan is marking the United States’ 250th anniversary by donating 250 new cherry trees.
“These cherry blossom trees also bloom for the next generation,” said Masatsugu Odaira, minister of public affairs for the Embassy of Japan in D.C. “We’re hoping that every American will enjoy the cherry blossoms for many years to come.”
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About 150 of those donated trees will replace the ones removed during a major reconstruction of the Tidal Basin seawall. The multiyear, multimillion-dollar project addressed decades of sinking ground and frequent flooding around the basin.
“Obviously, taking care of infrastructure and making sure that these dilapidated seawalls were fixed was important,” Litterst said. “But more than just the seawalls themselves, it’s what the seawalls are protecting.”
That includes the cherry trees themselves.
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