Cherry Blossom Festival Brings Out Crowds In Succesful Return To San Francisco Japantown
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- Mega-events continue to make a comeback including in San Francisco's Japantown with the return of the Cherry Blossom Festival, which wrapped up on Sunday.
"It's awesome with the plaza coming back to life slowly but surely," said resident Brandon Reich. "It's exciting to see the crush of people."
Buddhist temple Soto Mission of San Francisco served up traditional Japanese street snacks called takoyaki.
"It's incredible! An A-plus," said resident Brandon Bernal. "Hanging out with friends and celebrating Japanese culture is just great."
One thing missing this year is the annual parade. They simply didn't have enough volunteers but plenty of them did show up this weekend to make this festival come back to life.
"I'm just happy to have the festival again where people can come out and see that we can have a good time and be safe," said festival organizer Grant Tsuji.
"It's just a relief to be in a space where we can engage with each other," said volunteer Soo Hyung Lee.
For so many organizations and vendors, the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival - the largest of its kind on the West Coast - has become their biggest fundraiser and revenue generator.
"My parents grew up in this temple and I learned a lot," said Kazuo Suzuki of Soto Mission of San Francisco. "I'm trying to get my sons and daughters to help out. It's a tradition that needs to keep going."
The four-day event over two weekends typically draws some 200,000 people to Japantown.
"Two years without it happening has been like pulling the plug on a special thing that happens in our neighborhood," said Debra Price Seo.
For so many, the festival's return is a big reason to cheer.
