This year marks the 105th anniversary of the donation of 3,000 cherry blossom trees to Washington D.C. by Ozaki Yukio in 1912 when he was Mayor of Tokyo. As in previous years, the 2017 Cherry Blossom Queen, who is selected annually during the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C., visited Japan as the U.S. goodwill ambassador.
After meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Governor of Tokyo and the House Speaker, the 2017 Cherry Blossom Queen and chaperone visited Ise, Mie Prefecture of Central Japan, accompanied by Mr. Takaaki Ishida, Secretary General of Ozaki Yukio Memorial Foundation which hosted the delegation together with NPO Gakudo Kofu June 4-6, 2017.
The delegation called on the Governor of Mie and the Mayor of Ise, and visited the Mikimoto Pearl Island, Ise Grand Shrine, Ozaki Memorial Hall, Kogakkan University, and Futami Pearl Center, among others.
IDN-INPS accompanied the delegation and made a documentary of the 2017 Cherry Blossom Queen’s visit.
Video documentary by IDN-INPS Multimedia Director Katsuhiro Asagiri
Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxvrR_CILiM&t=21s
Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzrB8CIFsB0&t=24s
Day 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31rbWajvvUE&feature=youtu.be
「第69代全米さくらの女王と伊勢来訪 」（石田尊昭尾崎行雄記念財団事務局長） article in Japanese
Related IDN articles:
An Island Where World’s First Cultured Pearls Were Created
A Japanese NGO Keeps Yuki Ozaki’s Spirit Alive
A Young Mayor Upholds the Legacy of Japan’s ‘Holy City’
Related website: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/about/history/ (national cherry blossom festival)
