KIKKO PARK IWAKUNI, Japan -- “Sakura:” a word station residents possibly associate with Japanese culture and the movie theater aboard station, but a word many people may not completely understand.
A Sakura is the Japanese term for cherry blossom trees and their blossoms, a sight most people deem themselves blessed to witness.
From business names, Japanese art and music, kimonos and other clothing, to Japanese currency, cherry blossoms can be seen throughout the culture.
The term “Hanami,” literally meaning “viewing flowers,” is used for the Japanese custom of having what most people would consider a picnic among blossoming cherry trees.
While there are many different kinds of cherry blossoms, Japan’s most prominent blossom is the Somei-Yoshino, which is usually characterized by its almost pure-white flower with a pale pink shading around its stem.
Japan is not the only place cherry blossoms grow and bloom. Countries as far away as Brazil, The Netherlands, Germany, the United States and others, have areas where cherry blossom trees can be viewed and admired.
In 1912, Japan gave 3,020 cherry blossom trees to the United States, which were planted in Washington D.C., as a gift of friendship.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, a two-week event which begins with the last Saturday of March, has a combination of many activities, from a 10-mile run, to dancing, martial arts and much more, in celebration of the United States and Japan’s continually growing friendship.
Currently, the most cherry blossoms in one location is the International Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon, Ga., which is the home of more than 300,000 cherry blossom trees.
The blooming of cherry blossoms can be followed by the flow of warm weather moving northward through Japan, appropriately named Sakura Zensen, or the cherry blossom front. While cherry blossoms bloom at different times throughout Japan, most of these blooms happen during late March to early May and only last for a few weeks.
Because of their magnificent beauty and short lifespan, cherry blossoms are often a symbol used for mortality and the cycle of life and death.
The cherry blossom was used in World War II to promote the ideas of militarism and nationalism to the Japanese people. In multiple battles, the willingness for young Japanese troops to fight in service of honoring their emperor was poetically portrayed as the falling of cherry blossom petals.
Through generations of Japanese history, from the symbolism of life and death, to their use on clothing and art, the cherry blossom has proven itself an eternal staple in the Land of the Rising Sun.