Thursday 13 April 2017

桜 (Sakura)


(Sakura) or cherry blossoms, as most know, have a very special cultural significance  here in Japan. Ask any Japanese person “what is your favourite time of the year?” and many will say “Haru” (Spring): often in reference to the exquisite blooming of sakura.
Spring, of course, is literally the season of new life in nature, and the blooming of sakura vividly epitomizes this. What makes sakura more profound is that their life is both beautiful and fleeting: an analogy of human existence.

As the sakura bloom across Japan people have ‘cherry blossom parties’ or   花見 (Hanami), which literally translates as ‘watching blossoms’. They eat and drink heartily with family, friends and/or workmates. It is therefore a time to really appreciate being alive—and the beauties of life—on many different levels.

© André Bertel. Oita City, Japan (2017).

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