Salem, Oregon's official nickname is the cherry city.

Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) is celebrated in March or April (whenever the cherry trees bloom). A celebration of springtime and contemplation; the American festival commemorates the planting on March 27th, 1912, of Japanese cherry trees at the Tidal Basin in Washington DC. The trees, actually the 2nd such gift from Tokyo (the original 1909 gift of 3,000 trees was diseased & had to be destroyed), were paid for by chemist Jokichi Takamine, who had heard of then First Lady-Helen Taft's fondness for cherry trees. Sakura Matsuri take place across Japan during the flowering of the cherry blossoms, & generally feature parades and historical reenactments in traditional dress, as well as lots of hanami, or flower viewing, which has been a traditional spring pastime in Japan since the 8th century. TV and radio stations broadcast optimal times for cherry blossom viewing, just like ski reports, & thousands of people make excursions to orchards & groves, where they sit beneath the blossoms, drink sake, quote poetry, & contemplate life's mujyo ("transiency"). In the US, the cherry blossom festival has been celebrated in Washington, DC, annually since 1935 (except during World War II). At the Washington Festival, paper lanterns are lit & a National Cherry Blossom Festival Queen is crowned. Other celebratory festivities include a parade, a race, & a black tie gala. Other cities with cherry blossom trees also celebrate springtime Cherry Blossom festivals, most featuring traditional Japanese arts and crafts.