Sakura Park

Sakura Park is a 2.07-acre park at Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue near West 122nd Street in Morningside Heights. The park's name, meaning 'cherry blossom' in Japanese, reflects the gift of cherry trees from the Japanese government that grace the park and create a spectacular spring display.

The cherry trees were donated as part of a tradition of Japanese-American friendship that has included similar gifts to Washington, D.C. (the famous Tidal Basin cherry trees) and other American cities. The trees in Sakura Park bloom each spring, drawing visitors from across the neighborhood to enjoy the brief but dazzling display of pink and white blossoms.

The park sits on a hillside between Riverside Drive and Claremont Avenue, near the campus of the Riverside Church and Grant's Tomb. Its elevated position provides views toward the Hudson River and the Palisades, and its quiet, shaded character makes it a contemplative alternative to the busier sections of adjacent Riverside Park.

Morningside Heights, the neighborhood surrounding the park, is home to Columbia University, Barnard College, the Union Theological Seminary, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and several other academic and religious institutions. Sakura Park serves the students, faculty, and residents of this intellectually rich community.

Sakura Park's annual cherry blossom season has become a neighborhood celebration, a moment when the beauty of the natural world breaks through the urban landscape and draws people outdoors to witness the brief, exquisite flowering that the Japanese call hanami.