Enjoying spring while social distancing [PHOTOS] Posted : 2021-04-01 13:54 Updated : 2021-04-01 13:58 Cherry Blossom trees bloom along the National Mall following a rain shower March 28, in Washington, D.C. The Japanese cherry trees were gifted to Washington, D.C. by Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki in 1912 and draw tens of thousands of daily visitors around peak bloom every year. AFP-Yonhap By Kang Hyun-kyung Spring came anyway. It survived the pandemic. Forsythias and azaleas signal the coming of the new season after a harsh, frozen winter. Cherry blossoms make us feel a season for life has just begun. Spring is not the same it used to be in the wake of the pandemic.