100 Views of a Town in Japan: Old Sakura

Old Sakura tree in Aomori, Japan. April 2021.

Sakura, the Japanese flowering cherry trees that seem to bloom everywhere across the country, even in more wild places like mountains, is one of the forerunners of spring in my town. The daffodils bloomed first, but the sakura always steals the show. Only for a short time, however. While the daffodils are still taking their time to vanish, the sakura has already come and gone. It feels like waking from a pleasant dream I can't quite remember. All I have are the still images on my phone to remind me it was real.

These stunning flowering trees always distract me from the other changes happening in nature this time of year. Before the sakura, the land and trees were brown and appeared dead after winter. As soon as the sakura has gone, my world has already been transformed into a mass of fresh green leaves and a variety of flowers that crept up unnoticed. The cold and snowy winter already feels like a distant memory.

Sakura up close in Aomori, Japan. April 2021.

The tree in the pictures above is said by locals to be over a hundred years old. Despite only being in full bloom for a short two weeks each spring, this sakura tree never fails to bloom each year. I have seen it each time these past four years. Every time I see it, it reminds me that beautiful and special experiences in life may be short-lived, but they always come back given enough time. There is something to look forward to each spring. If sakura bloomed year-round, it would likely not have its place as one of the most praised and used flowers in Japanese literature, artwork, and even pop music. It’s short-term beauty makes it stand out. I will remember many of the other flowers I have seen in abundance here: the wisteria, the chrysanthemums, the camellias, the azaleas and the hydrangeas. However, when I think of Japanese flowers, sakura will always come to my mind first.

See more flowers of Japan here.