Washington, D.C. Japanese Street Festival

The 52nd annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival took place on April 14th along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The nation's largest Japanese Street Festival also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees and the climax of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. In 1912, a gift of 3,000 cherry blossom trees was bestowed upon the American capital from Tokyo, Japan.

The street fest was presented by The Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. and featured Japanese food, musical entertainment and booths showcasing Japanese culture. There were organizations promoting tourism and high-speed train travel among others.

The East Japan Railway Company -- the largest passenger railway company in the world -- wowed festgoers with a 3D animated video showcasing their bullet trains. And a group called The Northeast Maglev was there promoting Japanese-style superconducting maglev trains here in the United States. Their brochure stated that a high-speed maglev train ride would whisk passengers from Washington, D.C. to New York City in less than one hour.

Here are more photos from the event followed by video of drummers on the main stage giving a powerful performance.