The school year in Japan starts in April, so many people associate school entrance ceremonies with cherry blossoms. Quite a few schools have cherry trees planted in their grounds and these can often be seen floating in the background in commemorative pictures taken of parents with their children. Some people sense a mother’s warmth in these gorgeous cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are sometimes considered to be a symbol of romantic feelings. The poet YOSANO Akiko composed the following: “Early evening moon, Over the flowering field, I felt somehow, He was waiting for me, And I came.” In the following military song, beautiful cherry blossoms falling after a mere week are compared to soldiers going off to the battlefield: “You and I are cherry blossoms of the same year …, Once we bloom, we are ready to fall, Let’s fall beautifully for our motherland.” The next poem, attributed to the Zen master and priest Ryokan, is a well-known masterpiece about the meaning of life. “Cherry blossoms are falling, Those that remain are also fated to fall.” The cherry blossom is a flower of both beauty and transience, a flower that reflects the delicate feelings of the Japanese people.