The Japanese lantern is a stone statue on the Tidal Basin, one of two lanterns created in 1651 to mark the death of the famous shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. The lantern was previously located in the Tosho-gu temple in Ueno Park, where its twin remains. It was given by the governor of Tokyo to the people of the United States and was dedicated in 1954.

Best to view in "Original" because other versions resized by Pbase are decidedly unsharp.

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Wednesday was a spectacular day, and Tim was off, so we decided to brave the gridlock on the streets and crowds of people to view the cherry blossoms on the Tidal Basin, although it certainly wasn’t as packed as last weekend.

The city of Tokyo gifted 3,000 cherry trees to the US capital 107 years ago, in 1912. Despite the hassles of getting to the Tidal Basin, many DC area residents honor the tradition of visiting during peak bloom, and people come from all over the country to see this gorgeous sight.

The stone lantern, dating to 1651, posted earlier: