The Sakura Matsuri – Japanese Street Festival is the largest one-day celebration of Japanese culture in the United States and is proud to be the grand finale of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Performers and vendors travel from all over the country and the world to Washington, DC to share their love of Japanese culture and traditions with the Festival attendees. source

Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, then immediately after, the Sakura Matsuri - Rain or Shine! You can find me between 7th St NW & 3th St NW Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC

There are no pictures from the Japanese festival, but, you can check it out here

Before anyone asks me, the building in the back of the giant cherry blossom (pictured above) is the National Archives.

What a parade be without a fife and drum corp?

A clown who could never tell a lie?

STOP!! BRAIN TEASER AHEAD!!

source55

Question: Always old, sometimes new.
Never sad, sometimes blue.
Never empty, sometimes full.
Never pushes, always pulls.
What am I?

Oh! This one was hard!

source

Answer: The moon!

There were bikes that were super cool and men dressed up in period clothing. My kind of day.

It's always amazing to see how many handlers there are and watch them as they expertly maneuver the inflatable. A few years back, I remember losing one of them for just a moment or three. It was hairy, to say the least.

She had her poodle going on! Oh, yes! Did I tell you that there was dancing in the streets?

Laid all out and ready to roll. I caught these horns all lined up and ready to go as I perused the pre-parade activities. Everyone was warming up and having fun.

A little pre-parade stretch out. They were readying for the big moment.

Getting in position to give a show! Ready or not, here we come!

They are all lining up to start the parade. As for us mere mortals, we have already been standing along the Parade route which runs from Constitution Avenue between 9th and 15th St NW.

Clowning around a little bit. I saw these guys all over town for the rest of the day.

Strapping the dragon onto the vehicle.

They threw the confetti cherry blossoms throughout the parade. Glad I wasn't on clean-up. They were made of foil.

A flower. There must always be a flower or three, to color my world. Hail the beauty of the cherry blossom!

And just like that, the Festival is over. Until next year! I hope you had fun and maybe next year, you can come to Washington, DC and celebrate the season with us! You know you want to!!! And thank you for visiting #MarketFriday!! Have a most fabulous day!

I have been discovering new places, some right in my own area! Today, I discovered a tulip farm! Just as tulips are ending! Next year! Next year! I love to share and be shared with! I am intrigued by different cultures. It is exciting and yes! I would love to see yours! Don't forget to take photos wherever you happen to be shopping - whether it be the grocery store, the local marketplace or even an art gallery, a kite festival or a cherry blossom festival! Wherever money is exchanged for a service or for merchandise. Be different if you wish! It does not have to be a traditional market! We will love it! I promise you! Don't forget to use the hashtag #MarketFriday and @dswigle.

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Thank you for visiting my post 💖 Because of you, I come back to post again and again, I am encouraged by you, for the time you take to visit, comment or even upvote. For all of these reasons, I am eternally grateful. Don't ever forget what a wonderful world we live in, people. Let's hold hands around the globe and make this earth really spin. Some days, it is not as easy to see, how wonderful it really is. Kindness counts. Wherever you go, whatever you do.

I always post this poem down at the bottom of my posts. It is one that has become so near and dear to my heart. I only post the most famous part of it, but, wanted to post it in its entirety today.

they set my aunts house on fire
i cried the way women on tv do
folding at the middle
like a five pound note.
i called the boy who use to love me
tried to ‘okay’ my voice
i said hello
he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?

i’ve been praying,
and these are what my prayers look like;
dear god
i come from two countries
one is thirsty
the other is on fire
both need water.

later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered,
"where does it hurt?"
it answered,

"everywhere"
"everywhere"
"everywhere"

warsan shire

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