Each spring, the Japanese cherry blossoms around Washington, DC, remind Americans that some of the most enduring connections between nations often begin with simple gestures that carry lasting meaning – like the gifting of trees.

On March 19, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi presented a cherry blossom sapling to President Donald Trump at the White House, marking the first of 250 new trees Japan is donating to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and extending her country’s long-standing tradition.

Such moments of ceremony and hospitality have marked U.S.-Japan diplomacy for more than a century and a half, including the spring blossom celebrations that now color our nation's capital each year. The two countries’ history at the White House dates back to one of the most remarkable diplomatic visits early Washington had ever seen.

An exchange of goodwill between countries

In 1860, a delegation of 77 Japanese envoys – including three samurai – traveled to the United States to meet President James Buchanan. Some 5,000 people stood along Pennsylvania Avenue, and 20,000 more climbed trees and looked out windows along the way, all hoping to catch a glimpse of visitors from a country most Americans had never seen represented in person.

During the three-week visit, the two sides exchanged gifts as a sign of goodwill. The United States presented commemorative medals........

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