Bringing a hanami party to Norwich
In Japan, the onset of Spring sees hanami (花見blossom-viewing) parties being held under cherry trees where families and friends gather to watch and celebrate the blossoms. The trees are an important symbol of impermanence and renewal in Japan, and since 2019 have been donated to locations across the UK by the Sakura Cherry Tree Project to mark 150 years of Japan-UK friendship and continued cooperation. Since the project began, over 8,000 trees have been planted across the length of the UK – from Wick in the North of Scotland down to St Ives in Cornwall, and in numerous places in between (you can view the map of all the planting locations here).
In 2022, the Sainsbury Institute coordinated the planting of a number of trees donated by the project across locations in Norwich. Three years on, to celebrate the original planting and welcome in the warmer weather and blossoms at Cathedral Close, the Sainsbury Institute hosted their own hanami party on Thursday 10th April with friends and colleagues from across the city. This took place on the same day as the Sakura Project’s own hanami gathering which was held at Regents Park, and we were delighted to be able to echo the London celebrations in Norfolk.
Many of the trees were planted across Cathedral Close, where the Sainsbury Institute’s headquarters are based, and several members of the Norwich Cathedral team came to the event. We were also joined by representatives of the Estates team at UEA, which has now received a subsequent donation of trees from the project which are planted on a green near to the entrance to the campus. We were delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor of Norwich to the occasion, representing Norwich City Council who also planted trees from the project across several of the city’s parks in 2022 for the local community to enjoy.
Beginning at the Nelson statue in the Cathedral, where a ring of the cherry trees were planted, the event began with some opening remarks to attendees from Professor Simon Kaner to provide some context for the project before handing over to the Lord Mayor who welcomed attendees and expressed the Council’s gratitude to the Sakura Project. Attendees then migrated to Lower Close Green in front of the Sainsbury Institute for the hanami party, complete with Japanese sake and British picnic snacks. The event brought together a range of friends and partners from across the city, including Study Abroad students from UEA – both Japanese students studying in the UK and UK students returning from study in Japan, our two visiting scholars Professor Miyama Junichi from Chuo University and Professor Unno Satoshi from the University of Tokyo along with their families, as well as friends from organisations across Norwich. It was moving to see the convivial atmosphere of the event under the blossoms outside of our historic headquarters, echoing the sense of Japan-UK cooperation and friendship that the trees were donated to represent.
We very much hope to continue this tradition in future years, and hope that many of you will be able to enjoy us for future editions. We are grateful to the Sakura Project for their generous donation of the trees, and to all our friends, colleagues and supporters who were able to attend the event.