IRMO, S.C. — When you think of the beginning of spring, you think of sunshine and flowers blooming, including the cherry blossom, a plant native to Eastern Asia.
Cherry blossoms are in the South Carolina Midlands, too. On Saturday, the Irmo celebrated this bloom and its tie to Japanese culture. The trees have been springing to life at the Irmo Town Park for several years. Folks got out in the fresh air to celebrate this bloom.
"You can't think about Japan without thinking about cherry blossoms, and it's a very moving time of the year when you see the spring coming, and you see the Japanese Sakura trees beginning to bloom," festival organizer Kimberly Oakley said.
Oakley said she started the event to bring culture and community to her corner of the Palmetto State, where Cherry Blossoms grow.
"It reminds us that life is short, it's beautiful, we should celebrate it, and be in the moment," Oakley said.
She chooses the vendors, each of whom must be tied to either Japanese culture or the cherry blossoms, like the festival's booth with matcha tea and the booth with mochi.
"It's probably something a lot of people have not thought about, how far back the cherry blossom and the festival and the World Wars and stuff that this comes from, from Japan," attendee T.J. Phenis said.
One of the vendors is Benji Hicks, who is a Japanese woodblock print artist.
"There's a key block, which is your black outline, and then a color block is carved for every color that you see in the print," Hicks said.
He said his favorite part of this specific art form is that it uses many elements from nature, like bamboo and animal fur.
"A little stiffer bristle in the middle, and a softer bristle on the outside," Hicks said. "I guess that's one of the things that keeps me into it, is that I don't feel like I'll ever really totally master it to the point to where I could say I'm done. I can only aspire to what these master Japanese printmakers did."
It is a day celebrating culture, a new season, and community.
The festival is planned for the same time and place next year.