The Sakura Garden, which includes a pavilion and 17 flowering cherry trees, will open Friday as foreign, state, and local dignitaries are scheduled to attend the international celebration.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson as well as Taizo Mikazuki, governor of Shiga Prefecture, Japan; and Mitsuhiro Wada, Consul General of Japan in Detroit; are expected to attend the celebration. It begins at 3 p.m. at the Michigan State University Tollgate Farm and Education Center in Novi. The address is 28115 Meadowbrook Road in Novi.
“The state of Michigan has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Japan, one that is built on mutual trust, respect and understanding,” Snyder said. “The Sakura Garden serves as a testament to that friendship and honors the many productive cultural connections between Japan and Michigan.”
Patterson, who donated $10,000 toward the $150,000 project, said Japan is the largest source of foreign direct investment in the county. Economic developers from Oakland County travel to Japan at least once a year to meet with the leaders of companies that are already here or to attract other companies who may be interested in expanding operations to North America.
“We have a warm relationship with Japan and the more than 270 Japanese companies that operate in Oakland County,” Patterson said. “We are honored to welcome our Japanese friends and hope The Sakura Garden is a destination that can be enjoyed by everyone.”
The project is the result of a partnership between Michigan State University, the Japanese Consulate of Detroit, the Japanese Business Society of Detroit, the city of Novi, and the Oakland County Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs.
“We are honored to host this garden that shows the importance of the symbiotic relationship between Oakland County residents and their Japanese counterparts,” said Jeff Dwyer, director of MSU Extension. “As the university’s major outreach arm, MSU Extension is always eager to bring communities together. We hope that Tollgate visitors will take advantage of our robust programming here, as well as enjoy some peaceful reflection in the garden.”
Performances on Japanese Taiko drums and a Koto – a traditional Japanese stringed instrument – will be part of the ceremony as will the planting of a cherry tree. The event also recognizes the 50th anniversary of the sister-state relationship with Japan’s Shiga Prefecture.
Fourteen other sponsors besides the county executive contributed $10,000 each to support the project and create an endowment to maintain the garden: Daifuku North American Holding Co., Deloitte & Touche (Japanese Services Group), Hitachi Automotive Systems of America, KIP America, NGK Sparkplugs (USA) Inc., NHK International, Nissan Technical Center North America, One World Market, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Toyoda Americas Corp., Toyoda Gosei North America Corp., Toyota Bochoku America, Toyota Industries Electric Systems North America, and Toyota Tsusho America Inc.
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