Greeting from the HAJAS President

To Heart of America Japan-America Society Members--

Daffodils, forsythia and redbud are bringing a brilliant spring show to the landscape.  In Japan, the great harbinger of spring is the cherry tree.  The cherries are already blooming in parts of Japan.  Kansas City has a grove of cherry trees that were presented by Kansas City’s sister city, Kurashiki, Japan.  They are in Loose Park.  It is customary for the Heart of America Japan-America Society to hold a ‘Hanami’ cherry blossom viewing party in the park.  Unfortunately, COVID 19 precautions make that difficult this year.  However, individuals can freely view the trees near the garden center and at the south end of the park.  Flowers, trees, and other features of nature give us hope in the current difficulties.  I attended an event highlighting anti-Asian racism the other day.  This is a terrible problem, as if dealing with the pandemic were not trouble enough.  However, at the event, I thought about the grand network of Japan-America societies in this country.  We are certainly setting up personal and social bonds with Japan.  I believe that such bonds are an effective way to crowd out and nullify negative trends.  There are many other strategies being used to attack this problem.  However, our personal bonds with Japan and other countries (for example, the Sister Cities program) are a very effective way for all of us to be personally involved.  It makes me proud to be a member of HAJAS.  Enjoy the spring flowers!

John Lytton, HAJAS President

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