Cherry Blossoms
Apr 15, 2008 • Japanese Culture
According to my boss at the morning meeting, it’s cherry blossom time. This is earlier than last year, I think, and that means we’ll probably be having a hanami, or cherry blossom viewing party some time soon. While walking home, I didn’t get any of those samurai epic, high school love cherry blossom snows, but the trees that I did see were very beautiful. Even the one that is growing on the side of a supermarket parking lot.
If my professors weren’t lying to me, the significance of cherry blossoms is simple: life and the transience of it. Cherry blossoms are quite beautiful and can bloom almost suddenly if you’re not paying attention. However, overnight, one rainfall can make the petals fall. It’s an action that’s been written about hundreds of times in relation to human life, particularly in relation to the samurai because even in death, one can be as beautiful as the cherry blossoms.
For me, the day the cherry blossoms bloom is like Thanksgiving Day.1 Part of this is growing up in general, as well as growing up in a post-9/11 world2, but it’s nice to have a moment to realize how good things are and how much worse they could be. Of course, these sentiments are not strictly for cherry blossoms - I find myself thinking about life whenever I get flowers. Watching flowers die beautifully in a vase is a rather depressing gift but it does promote thinking about life. But I digress….
I can’t say I fully understand the history behind cherry blossoms and I’d guess that a good chunk of native Japanese don’t either. It is the age of computers after all and there are “more important” things that have to be done. But in one crazy messed up world, it is nice to take a day, or even a half day, and sit down3 without a monitor staring back at you.
- One could argue that any day is a day you can give thanks - and I do find things to be thankful for on a more regular basis - but this is strictly time set aside [↩]
- Which is pretty significant for an American, as the rest of the world seems to hate us strictly on the basis of nationality [↩]
- Unless you’re the corporate underling who is forced to stake out a spot for the hanami with the rest of the underlings [↩]
Comments
Seconded on Nagato suggestion, if it’s not a burden to you ^^.
Wouldn’t mind sitting all day enjoying cherry blossom either.
@everyone: I thought about posting pictures but I’m in the country. There’s no such thing as those grandiose bunches of blooming cherry trees. You get maybe 1 or 2 together. I have some pictures from last year which I might post later, to go along with the hanami write up (whenever it happens).
Cherry-blossom viewing time is over in DC, as the National Cherry Blossom Festival has come and gone. But it was fun looking at the trees in full bloom. I also kept hoping that a fortuitous wind would blow my way while walking among the trees, just because. :P
Hey, those fortuitous winds can make for great picture moments. ^_^ Glad to hear you had fun!
[...] blossom viewing party, see Danny Choo’s experience or Rachael’s experience. I mentioned my thoughts earlier in a cruel, imageless post but as a follow up, I’ll describe my experience in a [...]
Must be a pain for the janitors. xD j/k
Not too many Sakura trees around here, unfortunately. :( You should take some pictures and post! :D