Sakura Festival 2026

Community members celebrate friendship and culture under Clark’s cherry blossom trees

Pictured above: Dr. Edwards addresses the crowd during the 2026 Sakura Festival

The sun finally broke through the dark clouds on April 16 after a week of drizzling rain, allowing Clark’s annual Sakura Festival to once again take place in the Japanese Friendship Garden. This celebration of friendship and the Japanese culture brought together hundreds from the community as they gathered underneath the cherry blossom trees, admiring the blooms that had held strong during the week’s storm. 

Yukiko Vossen and Shigemi Getter welcomed the crowd with a beautiful koto performance (pictured below).

Clark College President Dr. Karin Edwards then recounted the history of the cherry trees and the friendship garden, noting that sharing this story honors the friendships that brought the trees to Vancouver and the Clark campus. 

“As we admire the blossoms, let us also celebrate the friendships that have brought us here today,” Dr. Edwards said. “May they continue to grow, bloom, and flourish for years to come — just like the cherry trees we gather beneath.” 

Vancouver Council Member Erik Paulsen and Portland Japanese Embassy Consul General Ken Todoriki also shared remarks with the crowd. They both emphasized the significance of spring and the importance of embracing the seasons of life. They also honored the close ties between Vancouver and its sister city in Japan, Jōyō. 

Pictured above: Council member Erik Paulsen

Pictured above: Consul General Ken Todoriki

International student from Japan, Namika Miyagi (pictured below), who is majoring in Computer Science, shared her experience immersing herself in a new culture. She compared the brief time of being a student to the short bloom of a cherry blossom and encouraged the audience to treasure the small moments. 

The Clark College Chorale Ensemble closed out the ceremony with performances of “Be Like the Bird” and an arrangement of “Sakura Matsuri,” led by Jacob Funk (pictured below).

The celebration continued at the Gaiser Student Center, where guests enjoyed refreshments, performances, and activities:

• • Tea and hand-painted cherry blossom cookies baked by students from Clark’s Culinary program 
  • Portland Shishimai Kai performance 
  • Takohachi Q Ensemble performance 
  • Clark’s Japanese Club’s Share Crane Project 
  • Art shared by children enrolled in Clark’s Child and Family Studies program 
  • Cultural displays and demonstration tables

Pictured above: Clark's Japanese Club shares its crane project

Pictured above: children in the Child & Family Studies program share the artwork they created, inspired by cherry blossoms

 

Pictured above: Portland Shishimai Kai performance

 

Pictured above: Takohachi Q Ensemble performance

Learn More About the Sakura Festival

Learn more about the history of the Sakura Festival.  

View all photos from the event on Clark’s Flickr account. 

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley 

Story by Malena Goerl, Staff Writer, Communications and Marketing