The 2012 Arizona Matsuri (held at the Heritage and Science Park in downtown Phoenix will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) commemorates the centennial of the gifting of cherry blossom trees from Japan. In 1912, more than 3,000 cherry trees were gifted from the City of Tokyo to the City of Washington, D.C. as a symbol of lasting friendship from the people of Japan. Since that time, Japanese organizations have made gifts of cherry trees to America to commemorate significant milestones in the relationship between Japan and the United States. Info: http://azmatsuri.org.