Sacramento's long-awaited Hanami Line is finally ready to blossom
SACRAMENTO - Japan's famous cherry blossoms bring visitors from around the world each spring and now Sacramento hopes its new Hanami Line along the Sacramento River will offer a similar experience.
Hanami means "flower viewing" in Japanese, and the newly-planted grove of more than 100 ornamental cherry trees in the Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park will offer a beautiful and peaceful place for quiet reflection.
Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui cut the ribbon dedicating the Hanami Line Thursday evening and said her late husband would have been proud to see how the community came together to honor the historical connection between Japan and the Japanese immigrants who settled in the Sacramento Valley more than a century ago.
Matsui was joined in the dedication by the Japanese Consul General from San Francisco, Osumi Yo, who grabbed a wooden mallet with others for a ceremonial smashing of a sake keg before toasting the success of the project.
The young trees were planted just a month ago and may struggle with the summer heat, but should begin to blossom within a few years.
Planning for the Hanami Line began well over a decade ago and the fundraising drive led by the Sacramento Tree Foundation raised more than $7 million for its construction.