Fascinated by the exquisite sakura, my daughter had always wanted to see Japan in spring. It being the most expensive season to travel to this country, I would always put it off. But I realised, disposition was of utmost importance. It was either we’d go at that time - no IFs, no BUTs - or we’d never be able to.
I started the travel plans in mid-December and patiently kept tabs on Japan-Guide.com's cherry blossom forecast. But as soon as the accuracy of the forecast got higher, airfare and accommodation costs skyrocketed as well. Believe it or not Cathay Pacific was cheaper than ANA; and JAL was way too expensive. The standpoint was simple, we'd go with whatever airlines that was relatively within the budget and timeline. We got the early morning CX flight and at around 7am, we were on our way downtown, thrilled to join in the party!
The Japanese Tradition of Welcoming Spring
Hanami literally means flower viewing but is synonymous with sakura, the Japanese cherry blossoms. There are countless hanami spots all over Japan but the viewing season or more specifically the blooming dates depend on the region and weather conditions. It starts in Okinawa in January and moves slowly north with warmer weather, and ends in early May.
The blossoms only last for a short period of time and for this reason that Japanese cherish and celebrate the ephemeral beauty of sakura by gathering family and friends and having picnic under the tree – a centuries-old tradition that is hanami.
Our wish to wander about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter decided our city of disembarkation. Our Hanami in Osaka kicked-off with one or two sakura trees decorating the edifice of our first destination. It might not be a blanket of the exquisite pink blossoms but it was a delightful appetizer, if I might say so. Wherever we went, there would always be a mini park or a riverside lined with a number of sakura trees, not as grand as the popular viewing spots like Osaka Castle Park which we planned to have a tour of on our last day in the city, but seeing them in unexpected places spiced up our hanami experience, regardless.
Our intention to see the Golden Pavillion led us to continue our Hanami in Kyoto. It was somewhat a scene straight out of a manga or an anime – strolling along the historic sakura tree-lined canals, sampling dango and ending the journey with a distinctive matcha experience.
The Sakura Story
Sakura signifies the beginning of spring. The blossoms liven up the ambience and adorn the landscape for two weeks, the most, but their brief lives have a long-lasting impact, expressing a dramatic story of life and death.
For every beginning, there's an inevitable end. After being in full bloom for about a week, the sakura starts to flutter gracefully from the trees. In this culminating episode that the white and pink petals float elegantly to the ground – a beautiful reminder of how short life is. It spurs a momentary gentle sadness at their passing, but at the same time it opens one‘s eyes of this reality of life.
When the blossoms fall, the leaves come out of it, attesting to the continuous line of life.
Japanese revere sakura for its ceaseless aphorism of life, death and renewal. It symbolises love and beauty, embodies the concepts of ephemera and impermanence, resembles rebirth and new beginnings – all these are apparently prevalent in their culture and identity.
The Transience of Things
Just as fleeting as the cherry blossoms, our 7-day vacation passed by. Before we knew it, we were already at the Kansai Airport beguiled by the departing passengers holding Royce' bags. As though our carry-on luggage full of sakura and matcha flavored omiyage, the Japanese word for gift or present, was not enough, we did a detour to find the shop and quickly picked few boxes each of chocolate coated potato chips and milk choco bars. We literally flew to the other end of the hall where our gate was, to catch our last boarding announcement.
We were out of breath as we found our seats, and we were out of money as well, but in spite of everything, we were ecstatic to have experienced springtime in Japan even for a short period of time. The bittersweet feeling of having had the grandest time but acknowledging it had come to an end.
We paid over the odds for a trip, but our takeaways were priceless:
The appreciation of the transience of things;
The cognisance of things to be savoured in the moment;
The promise of spring – hope.
Comments