The Capstone International program at The University of Alabama will bring a Japanese holiday to Tuscaloosa with the Matsuri in the Mall celebration Saturday at University Mall.

The event will celebrate “ohanami,” the season where cherry trees begin to blossom and their blossoms detach.

According to the Capstone International website, “ohanami” symbolizes the paradoxically fleeting yet enduring nature of life. The University’s own cherry trees, located at the corner of University Boulevard and Stadium Drive, bring this theme to the UA campus.

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The Sakura Festival, which includes Matsuri in the Mall, is themed “yakudo,” meaning “vibrant.”

Kathryn Perez, international education coordinator for Capstone International, said Matsuri in the Mall will be an opportunity for the Tuscaloosa community to learn more about Japanese culture.

“Sakura reaches out to both the campus and the community to share Japan’s unique and extraordinary culture,” Perez said.

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Festivities will include authentic Japanese music, calligraphy, origami and traditional dances. This year, the event will include a scavenger hunt, with rewards ranging from restaurant gift cards to a $250 travel voucher. An art exhibit sponsored by the Tuscaloosa Sister Cities Commission will be on display as part of the festival, showcasing art made by K-12 students from both Tuscaloosa and its sister city, Narashimo, Japan. The exhibit will be open Wednesday through Sunday.

Perez said the Masturi in the Mall event exhibits the growing relationship between the University and Japan.

“UA has several long-standing relationships with Japanese universities. We both receive students from and send students to these universities on a regular basis,” Perez said. “However, we want all of our students, including those who are not able to participate in study abroad, to have the opportunity to learn more about various cultures around the world and to build their intercultural competencies and knowledge.”

The annual Matsuri in the Mall celebration will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Univeristy Mall on McFarland Boulevard. Admission is free, and all are invited to attend.

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