The story of this Cherry Blossom Garden begins in the early 1900s. At that time, my hometown was still very small and lacked hardworking people to plant and harvest the land. The fertile fields surrounding the Paranapanema River, eager to be cultivated, warmly welcomed the Japanese families who arrived to work on coffee plantations throughout the State of São Paulo.
It did not take long for these families to acquire their own land and, moreover, venture into cotton farming, exporting their products around the world thanks to the little steam train that still whistles through our region to this day. From the generosity that resides within those kind, almond-eyed hearts emerged the first Cherry Blossom Garden in our country (at least, that is what the sign says), which was soon afterward donated to the municipality of Paraguaçu Paulista.
It is through this story that I introduce you to a part of my childhood. I was born and raised in this town. Whenever possible, we would visit the garden. We played tag, admired the little fish in the ponds, watched newlyweds posing for the photographs that would later decorate their living room walls, and climbed the large rock beside the cabin.
Paraguaçu remains a small town, with a population of just over 45,000 inhabitants, but it has a big heart and a gifted hand in the kitchen. Pastry shops, pizzerias, and ice cream parlors can all be found just a short walk from the garden. Unfortunately, the site is currently closed for renovations and will receive a new billboard from the State Government. When it reopens, I will update this post.
