First Lady Michelle Obama Celebrates Cherry Blossom Festival Centennial

During tree planting, Mrs. Obama suggests a woman will be President in 2112...
It has been 100 years since Cherry trees arrived in Washington, DC, and First Lady Michelle Obama marked the centennial on Tuesday morning during a ceremony at the Tidal Basin, where she planted a sapling. She was joined for the very chilly event by Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and William H. Taft IV, the great-grandson of President William Howard Taft and First Lady Helen Taft. (Above: Mrs. Obama prepares shovels dirt around the new sapling)

A century ago, Mrs. Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, planted the first of 3,000 Cherry trees presented by the city of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC as a symbol of friendship.

Before she picked up her shovel, Mrs. Obama postulated that perhaps a woman will be President when her new sapling is 100 years old; she said she hoped that "the First Lady--or the First Gentleman--of 2112 will also have the privilege of joining with our friends from Japan, and planting another tree which will bloom for yet another one hundred years and beyond."

The District's annual Cherry Blossom Festival came early this year, thanks to very warm weather, and the trees are almost done with their gorgeous display. Mrs. Obama noted the trees' resilience in her remarks, and said it reminds her of the resilience of the Japanese people following last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami:

People from both of our nations worked together for years to bring these trees here to Washington. And over the past century, people of all ages from the U.S. and Japan and so many other nations have come to this Tidal Basin each spring to marvel at their beauty. And year after year, even after the coldest, darkest, stormiest winters, these trees have continued to bloom.

So on this historic anniversary, we don’t just admire the beauty of these trees, we also admire their resilience. And in so doing, we are reminded of the extraordinary resilience of the Japanese people. Over the past year, we have all witnessed their courage, unity and grace as they have come together and begun the very hard work of rebuilding their nation.

*Photo by Lawrence Jackson/White House