Kathmandu:  The Japanese Universities Alumni Association, Nepal (JUAAN ) and the Lalitpur Metropolitan City planted 70 cherry trees (the Japanese call them SAKURA) and 40 peach trees along the bank of Bagmati River, upstream and downstream of the Bagmati Bridge, July 15, 2023.

This was part of JUAAN’s 50th anniversary celebration, with JUAAN providing the trees and Lalitpur City providing the site and a fence to protect the trees.

At the ceremony, The Ambassador of Japan in Nepal Kikuta stated, “By planting SAKURA, we hope we can add one more beauty to this beautiful city. I believe that in the year of JUAAN’s 60th anniversary, the SAKURA we plant today will be in bloom. There, the people of the Kathmandu Valley will be enjoying the beauty of SAKURA and maybe having a HANAMI（花見） picnic.”

Notably, the Bagmati Bridge was built about 30 years ago with the support of the Japanese government.

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# Press release issued by the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, dated July 15, 2023: Ed.

Upadhyaya. N. P