Sakura Festival celebrates spring, friendships and blooming cherry trees
Clark College international student Namika Miyagi likens her college journey to a cherry blossom.
Like the flowering trees that dot the center of Clark's campus and bloom for a short time, college also is a fleeting experience with many precious memories that lead to a new beginning.
"Sometimes we work hard but still cannot see if we are moving in the right direction," said Miyagi, who hails from Kanagawa, Japan. "Our small effort at growing the roots where we cannot see them ... one day ... will help us bloom in our own way."
Miyagi was one of several speakers Thursday at Clark College's annual Sakura Festival to celebrate spring, the city's international friendships and those Shirofugen cherry trees - 200 of them, to be exact. The first 100 were given to the city of Vancouver by John Kageyama, president of America Kotobuki Electronics Inc., who planted the trees in 1990 alongside Vancouver Mayor Bruce Hagensen and Washington Gov. Booth Gardner.
Hagensen was one of a few hundred attendees at the ceremony in the Royce E. Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, where visitors were greeted by a koto performance by Yukiko Vossen, accompanied by Shigemi Getter. (A koto is a Japanese stringed instrument.)
Clark College President Karin Edwards kicked off the festival with an introductory speech. After a spring hailstorm swept through Vancouver one day prior, moments of sunshine peeking through cloudy skies were a welcome change Thursday.
"Welcome to the Pacific Northwest," Edwards said, eliciting laughs from the crowd.
Edwards and fellow speaker Erik Paulsen, a Vancouver city councilor, were among a group of local dignitaries who visited Joyo, Japan, last year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the sister city partnership between the two cities.
"What began as a desire to build international connection has grown into a meaningful partnership, filled with shared learning, cultural understanding and valued friendships," Paulsen said. "The Sakura Festival is a wonderful reminder of the bond and the opportunities it continues to create."
Ken Todoriki, the Portland consul general of Japan, said the Japanese have a special attachment to cherry blossoms because their blooming season coincides with a time that often brings life-changing events.
"In our minds, cherry blossoms are associated with bittersweet memories of saying goodbye to close school friends and teachers, while also symbolizing the exciting prospect of entering a new world and making new friends," Todoriki said. "Since they bloom for just a few days, they remind us how quickly time passes."
Miyagi has shared that experience since arriving at Clark last fall, a time she describes as full of excitement and worry while adjusting to cultural differences and language barriers.
The fact that she was speaking English in front of a large crowd Thursday wasn't lost on her.
"Even now, I still struggle to express myself the way I want in English," she said. "But still, I can keep moving forward because Clark College is such a warm place where people here accept differences and learn from each other.
"And today, I'm here speaking in English in front of you," she added as the crowd applauded. "It reminds me that I'm moving forward, little by little."
The outdoor portion of the festival closed with a performance from the Clark College Treble Ensemble under the direction of Jake Funk, then migrated to the Gaiser Student Center, where guests saw performances from Portland Shishimai Kai and Takohachi Q Ensemble, in addition to art and cultural displays.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:24 AM.