Top Story: 21. March 2008

Waiting for Blossoms

The weather turned unexpectedly cold this week, possibly delaying the viewing of cherry blossoms. Next week is said to be the time when most blossoms bloom, turning ordinary streets into alive, visual artwork.

Should it have not rained today, some of the sakura trees would have turned into bloom today. Sakura seems like a birthday present waiting to be opened, still under it's wraps, hid by your parents. It's not time yet, but soon it is.

My own birthday, happens to be the exact time when sakura is blooming. Being a visual designer here in Japan, I can feel entirely new value into my day of personal celebration. The entire world seems to be greeting you when the petals fall.

People are enjoying o hanami matsuri like never before. Time to forget the poisonous gyoza and bring your onigiri and beer with you. In morning TV news, the newscaster introduced a belt suitable for carrying many beers with you. Unashamed he demonstrated how this belt (suitable for alcoholics too) works in a morning show.

What does make me touched is also the way how Japanese are so unashamed about becoming crazy about ohanami. They seem to forget about style. Instead of eating in fancy restaurant, they bring a carpet with them and eat outside, enjoying the falling blossoms.

My own thinking about ohanami matsuri has of course changed over the years. When I started making this website back in 2001, I had a vague feeling what ohanami really is nowadays. Before I really experienced my own ohanami in 2005 in Suginami-ku, I couldn't really, imagine how beautiful the cherry blossoms would be.

I have came into a conclusion that ohanami matsuri is not supposed to be a festival actually, despite it's name. Before, the meaning of ohanami matsuri was to announce the beginning of rice-planting season. The meaning of beginning new phase in the lives and work of ordinary Japanese.

I feel ohanami supposed to be a quiet and somewhat sensitive event, where one can silently observe the short, blooming moment when nature awakens to accept the fact that it's actually spring. Especially I feel disappointed when I see all the garbage after the event. Why is food or sake needed when the nature gives you such, free of charge, display of it's amazing wonders? We humans should be more humble.

In contrary, some young people in Japan say they are not interested at all in hanami, because for them it means crowds of grannys singing under the tress and this certainly uncool concencus of Japanese society. I can understand their idea, but I think they are missing a lot, because o hanami can be enjoyed in such many various ways.

You can create your own way too. It's not against the law.

My way is to bring out a camcorder and my digital camera, and press REC. I smell the fragrance, feel this passing moment as sincerely as I can.

When everything around you is so beautiful you can hardly breathe.

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