PASADENA — In celebration of the 100th anniversary gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan to the United States, the Norton Simon Museum will screen “Takamine” (2011) on Friday, July 13, at 6 p.m.
The film, which is in Japanese with English subtitles, chronicles the life of Dr. Jokichi Takamine (1854-1922) from his childhood in Japan to his accomplishments in modern biotechnology and his life in America.
Takamine was instrumental in making the gift of cherry trees possible in 1912. As symbols of peace and friendship, the trees can still be admired today along the Potomac and Hudson rivers.
Directed by Toru Ichikawa, the film stars Hatsunori Hasegawa as Takamine. The cast also includes Saburo Shinoda, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Misato Tanaka, Takuji Kawakubo, Naomi Grace, Sachiko Kokubu, Rie Shibata and Naomasa Musaka.
The museum is located at 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 449-6840 or visit http://nortonsimon.org.
For more information on the film (in Japanese): http://j-takamine.com/