For the Nelson Cherry Blossom Festival, September 2009. An arsonist destroyed the Japanese teahouse in the Miyazu gardens on the eve of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival on September 13, but this act of vandalism failed to deter the organisers or the public.

The tea ceremony that was to have been held in the teahouse throughout the day by the Nelson Japan Society was instead held under a cherry blossom tea in the gardens, and over 2,000 people attended. The festival was hosted by the Nelson Miyazu Sister City Association to mark 33 years of sister city friendship with Japan. This was Nelson’s 13^th celebration of the coming of spring. The festival also included Japanese entertainment and food. The Rai Jin Taiko Drumming Group, formed to perform traditional drumming at last year’s festival, was noted as a highlight of the day. The brief of the Nelson Miyazu Sister City Association is to promote global cooperation at the local level and cultural understanding, stimulate economic development and foster a network of individuals and organisations to create and strengthen partnerships between communities. The Nelson-Miyazu sister city link has been praised as one of the most active and successful in New Zealand. Both the Nelson Miyazu gardens and the teahouse are initiatives of the organisation. Japanese Festivals were also held in September in Palmerston North, Wellington and Auckland.