April 22nd -The big day arrives! The SakuraMori winners wake up early and dress in their spiffiest outfits. A short bus ride takes them to the site of the tree planting ceremony.
And the children arrive! 100 students from local elementary schools in Fukushima.
After a speech by the Governor of Fukushima, everyone grabs a spade…
Heave-ho!
… And a new Sakura Tree is planted!!
Young & old, artists & editors, actresses & politicians… Everyone lends a hand to make the future brighter!
After the tree planting ceremony, everyone retires to a nearby building, where another surprise is waiting…
Ta-DAH! The Winners reveal their giant collaboration picture… but its not yet complete…
Each of the children grab a paper Sakura flower and paste it on the tree…
The need some help to get to those hard to reach places 😉
And finally, it’s finished!! The fruit of everyone’s efforts!
Finally, its time to say goodbye to the kids. But everyone gets a copy of the SakuraMori Manga, and a high-five on the way out!
The big event is over, but the trip is far from done! See Day 4: Tour of Fukushima.
The big event is over, but the trip is far from done! See Day 4: Tour of Fukushima.