Left: an example of a Japanese flowering cherry tree
The greening of York continues. On Wednesday, May 28, beginning at 11am, 250 Japanese flowering cherry trees will be planted on the Keele campus as part of the Japanese government’s Sakura project, symbolizing the long-standing close relationship between Japan and Canada and York’s many cultural and academic ties with Japanese institutions.
Japan’s Consul General in Toronto Takashi Koezuka and York University President & Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden will perform a ceremonial planting on the north side of the Computer Science & Engineering Building.
The Japanese flowering cherry tree, or Sakura, is a revered symbol of Japan. Its blossoming marks the arrival of spring and is celebrated in Waka and Haiku poetry and with annual Hanami, or flower-viewing picnics under the full blossom of the Sakura.
These trees will join other trees planted as part of the York University Task Force on Sustainability planting program.