The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (JASGP) is a private

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

and

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

organization that promotes arts, business, and cultural exchange between the United States and Japan in the

Greater Philadelphia The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Vall ...

region. The organization operates Shofuso, produces the

Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia The Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival (former "Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia") is an annual spring celebration based on the Japanese custom of ''Hanami'' (cherry blossom viewing). The festival, which is presented by the Japa ...

, and offers public educational and business programs.

History

The Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia was incorporated in 1994 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a member of

National Association of Japan-America Societies National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

, a national non-profit U.S. network dedicated to public education about Japan. JASGP is the second largest Japan American Society, after the Japan Society in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. In 1998, JASGP began a citywide

beautification Beautification is the process of making visual improvements to a town, city, or urban area. This most often involves planting trees, shrubbery, and other greenery, but frequently also includes adding decorative or historic-style street lights and ...

program planting ornamental

cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of Prunus, genus ''Prunus'' or Prunus subg. Cerasus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especia ...

trees in

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, wit ...

and along the banks of Philadelphia's

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

. This program became the

in 2003 following a

title sponsorship Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

from

Subaru of America Subaru of America, Inc. (commonly known as SOA), based in Camden, New Jersey, is the United States-based distributor of Subaru's brand vehicles. SOA is a subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. The company markets and distributes Subaru veh ...

. In 2016, JASGP merged with Friends of the Japanese House and Garden, a private nonprofit which operated Shofuso Japanese House and Garden beginning in 1982. Built in 1953 in

Kyoto, Japan Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the cit ...

, for an exhibition at New York City's

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

, Shofuso relocated to Fairmount Park and was constructed on the site of a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden des ...

built during the 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. JASGP commemorated Shofuso's 60th anniversary season in Fairmount Park in 2018. Events included an annual general meeting at

Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia. ...

and a series of special programs on site at Shofuso.

Programs

* Shofuso Japanese House and Garden *

*US-Japan Business and Public Policy Series

References

External links

*
NAJAS
{{coord, 39.94911, -75.16453, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Japanese-American culture in Pennsylvania United States friendship associations Japan–United States relations 1994 establishments in Pennsylvania Organizations established in 1994 Culture of Philadelphia Non-profit organizations based in Philadelphia

History

Programs

See also

References

External links