A slight chill in the morning didn’t deter Salem from celebrating the start of cherry blossom season at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21. Crowds gathered on the Capitol Mall to enjoy Cherry Blossom Day, taking photos amid the trees and waiting in a long line to enter the building for cu ltural demonstrations and performances. Lanterns are in place at State Capitol State Park to illuminate the blossoms through Saturday, April 4. The Monmouth Taiko Drummers (or kumi-daiko) perform on the Oregon Capitol steps on Cherry Blossom Day on Saturday, March 21, 2026. This is the first time the front of the Capitol has been open to public access in three years since seismic retrofitting began. (LAURA TESLER/ For Salem Reporter) Members of the Monmouth Taiko Drummers perform a kagura on the Oregon Capitol steps on Cherry Blossom Day on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Kagura dances are sacred performances offered to deities, combining powerful drumming with dramatic, rhythmic movement to invite or entertain spirits. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Members of the Monmouth Taiko Drummers perform a kagura on the Oregon Capitol steps for the crowd on Cherry Blossom Day on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Monmouth Taiko drummers play a version of Kawa No Nagare No Youni which translates to” like the flow of the river” on the Oregon Capitol steps on Cherry Blossom Day on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The drummers also emulate fish swimming upstream while they drum. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Jacob Jenkinson wears a Yokai mask during Cherry Blossom Days at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Yokai masks represent supernatural spirits, demons, and monsters from Japanese folklore. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Nana Goto Bellerud speaks to an audience at the Oregon Capitol about vases used in ikebana during Cherry Blossom Days on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) A small ikebana piece created by Nana Goto Bellerud at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Ikebana, is the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, focusing on minimalism, line, and form rather than mass. It originated in the 6th century for Buddhist offerings. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Masumi Timson leads the Willamette University Koto Club during a performance inside the Oregon Capitol rotunda on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Diane Habjan with her bonsai juniper tree during Cherry Blossom Days at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The tree is between 40-50 years old and Diane has had the tree for 12 years. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Eziekel Correa gets some exercise climbing the stairs during Cherry Blossom Days at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Wakai Urasenke looks on as a guest demonstrates proper manners during a tea ceremony demonstration at Cherry Blossom Days held at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The Japanese tea ceremony, or chanoyu, is a ritualized, meditative art form dedicated to preparing and drinking matcha tea. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Crowds at the Cherry Blossom Days in front of the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) People enjoy Cherry Blossom Day outside the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (RON COOPER/Salem Reporter) Spectators watch a performance for Cherry Blossom Day at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (RON COOPER/Salem Reporter) Bella and Crystal Luna enjoy blowing bubbles during Cherry Blossom Days on the Oregon Capitol Mall on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER/For Salem Reporter) Harumi Derosia shows off her kimono at Cherry Blossom Days held at the Oregon Capitol on Saturday, March 21, 2026. (LAURA TESLER for Salem Reporter) STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected]. Make Salem Reporter your trusted source for accurate, independent local news – every day. Stay informed and connected to your community. Subscribe today. The post PHOTOS: Crowds flock to Oregon Capitol for Cherry Blossom Day appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less