Friendship Takes Flight: A Cross-Cultural Collaboration Has Landed

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The cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC are a beautiful symbol of the ever-growing friendship between Japan and the U.S. In celebration of this enduring bond and as tribute to Japan’s original gift of the trees in 1912, the Embassy of Japan invited the local DMV community to take part in #FriendshipTakesFlight, an art installation created by the partnership of our two nations.
This spring, during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Embassy hosted interactive origami-folding events, bringing people together to learn the art of origami. Built from a small square sheet of paper and a few complex and thoughtful folds, participants were able to create beautiful origami cranes as illustrated in this tutorial. By engaging in paper-folding sessions held across several events in the DC area, individuals were able to contribute their very own creation to a collaborative, living sculpture. Symbolizing longevity, luck, and peace, cranes are a popular and familiar figure in Japanese culture and art. As the community joined together to build the cranes over the span of the Cherry Blossom Festival season, this dynamic installation was able to grow and evolve just as the friendship between Japan and U.S. has.
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    The cherry blossoms and this art piece carry even greater meaning this year. As the host country for the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan remains dedicated to the international community and its commitment to peace. Select cranes in the super-sized installation feature the vibrant colors from this year’s G7 branding, in homage to the member nations. Each colored crane represents the collaboration between the seven member countries and their joint commitment to peace, as so beautifully portrayed in this stop-motion video (also shown on the left).
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    Comprised of over 8,000 handmade paper cranes, the #FriendshipTakesFlight art installation landed at the iconic Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC).  Servings as the first and only U.S. federal building dedicated to public and private use and designated as the World Trade Center Washington, DC, RRB/ITC is a hub for global commerce, international dialogue and cultural exchange, attracting over a million visitors a year. The piece was installed in May 2023 prior to the G7 Summit and is on display for all to visit. Located near the building’s Atrium space, among other original works of art and a piece of the Berlin Wall, this spectacular piece is a testament to what can be accomplished by the enduring friendship between Japan and the U.S., making it a must-see for art lovers!

    For visitor information and RRB/ITC’s hours of operation, go to rrbitc.com/visit.

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