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Participation in 41st Denver Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) (June 22, 23, 2013)
The 41st Annual Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) was held at Sakura Square in Denver on June 22nd and 23rd, 2013. This festival is held each year in June with the purpose to introduce Japanese traditional culture such as music and martial arts. According to event organizers, around 10,000 people turned out for this festival during the two-day event. The Consulate General of Japan in Denver and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) LA office participated in the festival with a joint information booth. There were many visitors showing interest in travel to Japan due to recent inauguration of a non-stop flight between Denver and Tokyo. The booth also introduced and highlighted youth exchange programs funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, such as the Kizuna-Bonds Project and Kakehashi-Bridge for Tomorrow Project.