There¡¯s a turn of phrase in Japanese, ¬FŒg¤ËÒý¤‘ø¤µ¤ì¤ë (genjitsu ni hikimodosareru), which means ¡°to be pulled back to reality.¡± I find it¡¯s an apt way to describe the post-cherry blossoms crash.
After two weeks of »¨ÒŠ (hanami, flower-viewing) and all the accompanying socializing, drinking and fun under the spring sun, suddenly, it¡¯s over: ¬FŒg¤ËÒý¤‘ø¤µ¤ì¤Á¤ã¤Ã¤¿ (genjitsu ni hikimodosarechatta, it¡¯s totally back to reality).?
The —@ (sakura, cherry blossoms) are beautiful but brief, and it¡¯s this brevity that makes them such a prominent symbol in a culture that appreciates ¤â¤Î¤Î¤¢¤ï¤ì (mono no aware, the beauty of impermanence). Beauty, life, pleasure ¡ª all of it fades to nothing eventually.
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