Cherry Blossoms

Posted on March 8, 2007 by Penny Collins

Everyone knows that Japan is a modern and tech-savvy country, so it may surprise people at how much Nature’s rhythm rules the nation. A perfect example is found in the annual blossoming of the cherry trees. They usually bloom in late March and petals float softly to the ground as pale green leaves emerge in early April. The nation becomes obsessed with the peak blooming dates. News programs follow the blooming as it starts in the warmer climes of the south and progresses to the east and north. Newspapers feature private individuals’ poetry inspired by the delicate pink flowers.

Rituals that have personal and social importance have grown alongside of the cherry blossoms. In the daytime, parks are crowded with people eager to say good-bye to the long cold winter. If you watch them, you’ll see many stop, breathe deeply, and sigh as though they are relieved to have made it to the spring. Parties marking the end of the financial year and the school year are held outside under the blossoms. The lovely surroundings and the relaxed atmosphere encourage a peaceful and cooperative end to the year. This is all-important in a country where harmony and unity, even superficial unity, are sought. Parents dream of taking their children to the first day of school and part of that dream includes the gentle flutter of falling petals. Schools plant cherry trees outside of schools to make such visions a reality. Children walk with their parents through the tunnel created by the boughs of the trees and up to the front door of the school where they part. The comparisons to a baptism or a rite of passage are obvious.

In this very structured society that craves new scientific and technological advances, the rituals seem to acknowledge that man is indeed aware of and subject to the whims of Time and Nature. This is an aspect of Japanese society that foreigners sometimes miss. The cherry blossoms season passes very quickly and so does the chance to view this softer side of Japan. So plan a picnic with friends and coworkers under the blossom-laden boughs. As the petals softly settle on your head and shoulders, it may feel like a kind of blessing to you, too.