Event Background
The festival is sponsored by Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation, the Sister Cities Association of Virginia Beach, the Japan Education Culture Center Inc., and supported by the Virginia Beach Koto Society, Old Dominion University Martial Arts program, and Virginia Beach City Public Schools Japanese programs and clubs.
Modeled after the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Beach Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the goodwill friendship between Japan and the United States, marked by the 150 Yoshino Cherry Blossom trees which were all donated as part of the Miyazaki Garden expansion plan and planted by the Japan Educational Cultural Center and the Miyazaki Sister City Committee in 2005.
Since the early 1980s, the City of Virginia Beach and Miyazaki City, Japan, have enjoyed many fruitful grass-roots exchanges which led them to become Sister Cities in 1992. In 2007, Miyazaki’s eco-park Hagino Dai and Mount Trashmore Park officially becoming “Sister Parks.” In addition, through our Sister Cities relationship, Tallwood Elementary and Miyazaki Minami Elementary School became “Sister Schools.”
Celebrate With Us
Celebrate Virginia Beach's international sisterhood with Miyazaki, Japan at during our annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
This year, we are offering
virtual and popup events to promote the rich culture and beauty of Japanese music, martial arts, creative activities, and various virtual demonstrations.
Miyazaki Style
Watch this short video to learn more about our incredible sister city and its surrounding areas.
Miyazaki is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Located on the coast and crossed by several rivers, Miyazaki City enjoys scenic views of both ocean and nearby, verdant mountains.
The city is known for its popular landmarks such as the Aoshima Shrine, Devil's Washboard, and Miyazaki Prefectural Heiwadai Park.
The Peace Monument at Red Wing Park
The Peace Monument is constructed of a 30,000 lb. boulder extracted out of the deep mountains of Tennessee. This nine-foot-high monument symbolizes the spiritual serenity of nature and the eternal prayer for world peace, harmony, and prosperity as evidence by the Sister City relationship between Miyazaki City, Japan, and the City of Virginia Beach since 1992. This project is in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of USA DNBK Bushin Kan Dojo, established by Dr. Hiroyuki Tesshin Hamada, Professor Emeritus of Old Dominion University and Miyazaki City, Japan, and Sister City Coordinator of both Norfolk and Virginia Beach. The Japanese Education Culture Center Inc. and Hanshi, Takemichi Kuwahara, and Honbu DNBK Japan, as well as participating DNBK members worldwide, generously contributed to the funding for this project.