Last time, I wrote that nearly 200 cherry blossom trees began their annual offering near my home. Normally, trees bloom and drop the blossoms within a 6 to 10 day period. Then they are gone for another year. This is an event that I did not want to miss!
I made a nearly 2 hour journey to Jackson Park in Chicago to join admirers and other park-goers there.
Concrete jungle
The tall buildings stand over downtown like trees in a forest. They are barely surrounded by nature. Downtown appears to have its own climate. Hold onto your hat when you get off of the bus or train!
It is April but not unusual for even a few flakes of snow to fall. Doesn’t it look cold?
As a fan of public transportation, I took a train and bus to the city. Rain clouds covered the sky and accompanied me from my door all the way to the park.
A Day in the Park
Surprisingly, lots of people were there. It made the park grounds feel festive and a little bit warmer.
Sky Landing
In the park is an impressive art installation by artist and musician, Yoko Ono, which represents peace, art, and history. Known as Sky Landing, it was installed at the park in 2016.
Ms Ono expressed that the piece was inspired by her feelings and memories as a child in Japan during WWII.
It is made up of twelve symbolic lotus petals reaching twelve feet into the sky symbolizing harmony and resilience. Park visitors are invited to walk around and interact with the artwork. The intention is to embrace peace, reflect on history, and immerse themselves in the beauty of nature.
The sculpture stands on the site of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition’s Japanese Pavilion. It is just outside the confines of the Garden of the Phoenix.
Garden of the Phoenix
The Garden of the Phoenix, also known as Osaka Garden, is a beautifully curated Japanese garden located on Wooded Island inside the park.
Built on-site in Jackson Park, the Japanese exhibition hall was actually here. It was called Phoenix Temple or Ho-o-den.
The garden is an example of the friendship between the United States and Japan. Visitors get a glimpse of Japanese garden culture and view of the Columbian Basin.
The temple/pavilion was destroyed in a fire in the 1940s. Ironically, this incident was a common theme of damage and destruction by internal wars, bombing during WWII, and suspicious circumstances for many temple buildings in Osaka and throughout Japan.
The Kasuga Lantern, here, is one of the stone lamps that survived from the 1893 Exposition. It takes its name from the Kasuga Shrine in Nara, Japan.
I visited the Great Buddha of Nara at Todai-ji temple and the shrine there after my pilgrimage on Shikoku island last year.
These are more views at Osaka Garden at Wooded island.
The tree blossoms cheer up an otherwise dreary day in Chicago.
The cherry blossom trees are planted all over Jackson Park. They are young. The first 120 trees were planted in the park in 2013 in commemoration of the 1893 exhibition. Gradually, more were placed around the basin. The voids are filling in quite nicely. About 60 more trees will have been added by next year.
A hanami or “official” cherry blossom viewing at the park is scheduled for a week from today. The weather had been unpredictable (for humans) for the past month. To nip missing the blossoms in the bud – pun definitely intended – I made the trip to the park today. I was surprised that the buds, then the blossoms, appeared at all.
There are several varieties of cherry blossom trees in the park including pink and white.
They are distributed throughout the edges of the basin.
As the years pass, the trees will grow with bigger and fuller blossoms.
My early bird self caught this year’s blossoms. I am not disappointed by the sun’s absence. Let me take that back – it was there. I just didn’t see it behind the gray clouds. There’s evidence that it is here…
I saw its essence in the trees enveloping me in their wondrous, fleeting beauty.
No matter what happens now, weather-wise, I am happy that I saw them today.
Baadaye and Mata ne
Shirley J 🌸
More reading:
1 –This family of gardeners in Japan has cared for cherry blossom trees for 16 generations.
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2 – About the Exposition:
African American leaders had hoped to use the 1893 World’s Fair to show what Black people had achieved in just three decades since the Emancipation Proclamation began the end of slavery. But while all 44 states (at the time) were represented, along with many other countries, the organizers refused to let African Americans exhibit as a collective group. They were also excluded from organizing committees and the opening ceremony, and Black women were rejected from participating in the Women’s Building.
Read more: here.
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3 – Finally, read about the Obama Presidential Library currently being built on the grounds of Jackson Park: here
See you at the next post
Sj 🌸
