What comes up in your mind when you think of spring? For me, a South Korean, it's cherry blossoms.

Many streets in South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan burst into bright pink and white blossoms each spring. In Seoul, cherry-blossom time is festival time, as people pour into the streets to celebrate the full blooms. People celebrate by bringing street food to picnics along the Han River in South Korea's capital, are common for one week.

For university students in South Korea, the joke is that cherry blossoms mean midterms because exams start when cherry blossoms are in full bloom. They start studying when the blooms first appear.



“It is really sad how I have less and less time to enjoy the cherry blossoms now that midterms are just around the corner," said Chaerim Kim, a senior at Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea.

In Japan, cherry-blossom festivals, called "hanami," also include picnics, often in cemeteries under bowing trees. Hanami generally indicates cherry blossom viewing. People bring home-cooked meals, make barbecue or buy take-out food to mark the occasion. In areas with lots of cherry blossoms, there's fierce competition about where to celebrate, according to About Travel. Chefs incorporate cherry blossoms into their seasonal dishes and desserts, like cherry-blossom soups and ice cream.

Sake, the popular Japanese rice wine made by fermented rice, also gets into the spirit of the season. Sake flavored with cherry blossoms is a wonderful spring treat in Japan, according to Kyotofoodie.

Since the early 1900s, Asian ambassadors have gifted the U.S. with those cherry trees, which line the Potomac and Anacostia rivers in Washington where Americans have picnics. Besides Washington, Baltimore and the Eastern seaboard, cherry blossom festivals are also celebrated in the west and south.

For those who don't know where to go to enjoy beautiful cherry blossoms, here are some suggestions for cherry blossom festivals in the United States.

Here we go!

East

Washington, D.C.

Each spring, more than 1.5 million people head to nation’s capital to see beautiful and fragrant Japanese cherry blossoms. Washington, D.C. hosts the largest cherry blossom festival in the United States, called the National Cherry Blossom Festival. It takes place in late March or early April every year and it celebrates the 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to Washington, D.C. in 1912, according to the National Cherry Blossom Festival's website.

The festival spans four weeks and is enjoyed by more than 1.5 million people. This year, the weather in Washington had been unusually warm and the festival began five days early on March 15.

Then, Stella hit.



Snowstorm Stella hit Washington, D.C. March 14 a day before the festival kicked off. The National Park Service announced on March 15 that surviving blooms are expected to peak between March 19 and 22, but fewer blossoms will burst because of the recent cold temperatures.

New York City



New York also has beautiful cherry blossoms in spring. One of the most famous and largest cherry blossom festivals in New York is Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, offering over 60 events and performances that celebrate traditional and contemporary Japanese culture.

There will be a Japanese tea room, an art gallery, a "flea" market -- or a market that sells secondhand goods outdoors -- and fun entertainment like taiko drumming, cosplay actors, samurai sword masters, J-rock bands, stand-up comics and dance parties, according to Time Out.

Sakura Matsuri is the weekend of April 29-30. A daily ticket cost $25 for adults, $20 for students and seniors, free for children under 12.

Philadelphia, PA



In 1926, Japan gifted Philadelphia 1,600 cherry trees in honor of the 150^th anniversary of American independence. To commemorate the international friendship with Japan, Philadelphia celebrates the beautiful blossoms and Japanese culture by holding the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival at the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park. The festival is held for one week each spring, and this year's festival will be on April 1 to 9, according to the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival's website.

West

San Francisco



San Francisco hosts the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, the second-largest cherry blossom festival in the United States. Each year, over 200,000 people visit this festival to see the beautiful cherry blossom with the grace of the Japanese culture, according to the festival's website.

Visitors can participate in Japanese cultural programs like Japanese doll-making martial arts.

The festival will be held April 8-9 and April 15-16 in San Francisco’s Japantown, one of the only three remaining Japantowns in the United States, according to Travel Translated by Culture.

Seattle, WA



Seattle was also gifted 1,000 cherry trees by the Japanese Prime Minister 40 years ago in celebration of the nation’s 200th anniversary. Seattle reciprocated by holding its Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival.

The festival explores Japanese culture through traditional games, learning how to write shodo, orJapanese calligraphy, and trying on kimono and yukata, traditional Japanese robes.

The festival is April 21-23.

South

Macon, GA



The International Cherry Blossom Festival is held every spring in Macon, Georgia. According to Travel Translated by Culture, Macon is originally a sleepy southern town, but becomes a fabulous cherry blossom city each spring as over 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees bloom in all their glory.

Unlike the other cherry blossom festivals, International Cherry Blossom Festival is not associated with Japan or Japanese culture. It is more like a state fair. The festival offers various events such as animal shows, concerts, galas, fair rides, and bus tours along scenic cherry blossom trails. The festival is held for 10 days every year, this year from March 24 to April 2.

Nashville, TN

The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival was started in 2009 by planting the first 100 of 1,000 cherry trees at Nashville Public Square. The mission of the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival Committee is to plant 100 cherry trees each year until 1,000 are planted. So far, 800 cherry blossom tress have been planted throughout the city.

The festival is an annual celebration of spring and Japanese culture, and it offers various fun events such as a cosplay contest, parades, and Sumo Suit Wrestling. This year, the festival is scheduled for April 8 on the Nashville Public Square.

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It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

• Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
• Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
• Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

WASHINGTON — 

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.

STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)

U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.

Read the full story here. (January 2025)

A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.

Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.

Read the full story here. (December 2024)

Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health reaches out to international students by detailing the international student experience at the school.

Learn more about housing, life in Boston and more here.

BEIJING — 

China issued its first national action plan to build a "strong education nation" by 2035, which it said would help coordinate its education development, improve efficiencies in innovation and build a "strong country."

The plan, issued Sunday by the Communist Party's central committee and the State Council, aims to establish a "high quality education system" with accessibility and quality "among the best in the world."

The announcement was made after data on Friday showed China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

High childcare and education costs have been a key factor for many young Chinese opting out of having children, at a time when many face uncertainty over their job prospects amid sluggish economic growth.

"By 2035, an education power will be built," the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that China would explore gradually expanding the scope of free education, increase "high-quality" undergraduate enrolment, expand postgraduate education, and raise the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan aims to promote "healthy growth and all-round development of students," making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily, to effectively control the myopia, or nearsightedness, and obesity rates.

"Popularizing" mental health education and establishing a national student mental health monitoring and early warning system would also be implemented, it said.

It also aims to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to improve the operating conditions of small-scale rural schools and improve the care system for children with disabilities and those belonging to agricultural migrant populations.

The plan also aims to steadily increase the supply of kindergarten places and the accessibility of preschool education.

The Open Notebook, a site focusing on educating journalists who cover science, has complied a list of U.S. graduate program financial aid information for international students.

Read it here.