By Kori Johnson

From April 15-16, me and the other Japanese Plus students got to work at the Sakura Matsuri. Over the course of two days, the Japanese street festival Sakura Matsuri takes Japan right into the heart of the nation’s capital. The event, which spanned from 3rd to 7th Streets, NW on Pennsylvania Ave at the foot of Capitol Hill, offered two days of authentic Japanese food and beverages, cultural performances, handmade Japanese crafts, and so much more. 

I was able to dress up the first day of the Sakura Matsuri, cosplaying as a character many had known and was able to even get a few pictures with other cosplayers while working at the Japanese Plus booth. I was able to meet many people, some who even lived in Japan who were able to give us some tips if we ever decided to work or study abroad in Japan as we grow. Once I finished a shift, I decided to walk around and explore the festival, which came to an abrupt stop as it began to pour down with rain causing a lot of people in different booths to stay under for a few minutes, even meeting some students from past Japanese Plus programs. 

After the rain began to stop, that’s when I took my time to walk around the festival for real this time. Getting the chance to try many different foods, Chicken Katsu, Sakura Mochi and Kakigori over the two days. I even had the chance to go to the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, a short line thanks to the rain but it was extremely long earlier in the day. If you ever find out where the truck is make sure to get there early as lines will be long and you’ll be stuck for a bit.

Combined with gachapon and crane games scattered along the festival, and many different shows of Taiko Drums, and just many different showcases, the Sakura Matsuri is definitely an experience you want to participate in. If you can, you’ll be able to try many different cultural foods and even buy handmade items from Japan. 

I will definitely be going again next year to see what will be different from my 2023 experience.