Crowds packed into the Lenhart Grand Ballroom on Sunday as the University hosted the 16th Annual Ohanami Cherry Blossom Festival.

The event was sponsored by the University Japanese Club and the Asian Studies Program.

Asian Studies Director Akiko Jones estimated there were nearly 900 people in attendance for the festival.

“What I love most about this event is the diversity you see from the community, people from the ages of two to senior citizens come to participate and learn about the wonders of Japanese culture,” Jones said.

Jones said during previous years, smaller campus venues such as Olscamp have been used to host the event, but as the advertisement by the Asian Studies program improved, it was necessary to secure a larger area to support the expected crowd.

Several stations involving various activities were present, including demonstrations on origami and calligraphy.

Japanese student Mami Seki explained there are three different forms of Japanese writing.

Calligraphy is based on syllables and can be read from right to left like the English language or vertically.

Students also made swans and cranes out of construction paper at the origami station.

Volunteer Don Jaik, a member of the Asian Studies Program explained his experience with oragami.

“Today, I have been helping the younger children make swans, frogs and hats including other things varying in levels of difficulty,” Jaik said. “I learned how to do origami in a class I took while in Kobe, Japan from a man who had been doing origami his whole life,”

Other tables featured traditional Japanese games, and children had the chance to compete against each other in a chopstick game.

The event also featured an anime caricature station.

A popular attraction with lines frequently out the door was the table where attendees could get their faces morphed into a comical appearance.

At another end of the ballroom, traditional Japanese kimono dancing and taiko drumming were on display. A gathering of people watched as the dancers performed. In contrast, the large Taiko drums resonated throughout the ballroom.

Community members were enthralled by how far the event has come over the years.

Barbara Sanchez, a friend of Jones, was impressed by the improvement in advertisement and overall interest in the event.

“I have been attending the event since the beginning in 2001, I remember the low attendance rate at the beginning where there were only about 40 people, and it is great to see that the community has embraced the Japanese Culture and allowed the event to grow,” Sanchez said. “I can now bring my grandchildren here and share with them the wonders of a different cultural experience.”

Jones said the event started because of the donation of the cherry trees from the alumni chapter in Tokyo, Japan.

Over the years, the trees have grown taller and also signify the growth of the festival’s size and participation.

More trees were donated to the program as a gift for the 10th annual event, further encouraging the expansion.

With 34 years at the University, Jones has seen the interest in the culture grow drastically over the course of her tenure.

“The mayor and the provost came to check out the festival earlier in the day, as well as some surrounding high schools. Many high schools in the area are starting to add Japanese studies to their program now which I find to be fascinating,” Jones said.

Jones is excited for the future of the Cherry Blossom Festival and hopes to continue to influence the surrounding Bowling Green community.

The 17th annual event will be hosted on April 8, 2018.