Japan, today. |
I live in freaking Japan!
My house is literally right next to a scene like this. If I wanted, I could spend all day, every day, sitting under those trees. As it is, I am aware of the necessity of going to work, though, so I only spend my mornings, lunch breaks, afternoons, and evenings reveling in the beauty that is Japan.
It's okay, you have my permission to be jealous. I probably would be, too, if I were you and not me.
The only sad part about this is that the cherry blossoms don't last. They finally opened up about a week ago and already the blossoms are beginning to fall. In fact, if you look closely you can see some of them scattered on the ground in the picture above.
In a way, however, the short-lived nature of cherry blossoms adds to their beauty. There is so much anticipation of them and then, when they finally open up, their beauty can only be experienced for a short time. They begin to fall only a week after so much glory, leaving bare limbed trees to stand alone for the next eleven and a half months.
This also is very revealing about Japanese views of beauty. That which highlights the fragile things, the things that you only get to experience for a short time, is the beautiful thing. This is reflected all over the place in Japanese culture. Next time you go to see a Noh performance, or participate in a tea ceremony, or do any thing that is considered beautiful by the Japanese, remember the short-lived cherry blossoms. You may find a surprising parallel.
~Jeffles
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