Every year the Japanese people wait for the cherry blossoming season because taking family trips for viewing these beautiful flowers is an essential feature of their culture. The Japanese love these flowers so much that cherries images are ubiquitous throughout this country. The Japanese name for these cherry trees is Sakura and they are actually trees that do not produce fruit. The actual trees that produce fruit meant for eating come from another species of cherry tree.

The importance of cherries images in the Japanese culture dates from the 8th Century when the nobility began to copy various Chinese practices because that culture was considered superior to theirs. Apart from cherry viewing, they began the practice of including cherries images in their various artworks. These beautiful flowers were even featured in their textiles at that period.

The reason why cherries images are so popular in Japanese culture is that they are invested with a lot of symbolism. These beautiful flowers tend to bloom at the same time, leaving the trees covered in a blanket of pink and white blooms. As a result, they symbolize clouds in popular Japanese culture. As such, they are a very effective metaphor for the transient nature of life. Japanese culture has a very strong Buddhist influence and these beautiful but fragile blooms that suddenly come alive and die as quickly serve to remind people that life is ephemeral.

A fallen cherry blossom also has a lot of significance. The Japanese people associate it with snow and there are many references in their literature and films to fallen blossoms. They also indicate young soldiers who have died a brave death in battle. During the Second World War, these flowers were given a lot of importance and they were associated with Kamikaze pilots. Many young pilots even carried them in their planes when they went out on suicide missions. When they are viewed in this light, these flowers are imbued with a bittersweet beauty since they are constant reminders of death in the midst of life.

The Japanese love these flowers so much that cherries images can be found on almost any consumer goods, from stationary to wall paper. Modern day Japanese art forms such as motion films, Manga and Anime all make ample use of these beautiful floral images. As a matter of fact, cherry images have become as much a cliche of Japan as Geisha have become.

When the cherry blossom season is approaching, the entire nation becomes obsessed with changes in weather that herald the approaching warm season. The months of March and April are when Japanese families make plans to go on picnics and enjoy the cherry viewing. These parties, called Hanami, are the highlight of the season. In post war Japan, the theme of these picnics is entirely fun and there is no place for unhappy reflections on the transience of life. They are just an occasion for families to get together before the beginning of the next school year.

Author Bio: I am basically a graduate at the University of Hamburg and you can get awesome articles and valid information from the ones which I submit specially for you to take a look at. Check out Cherries Images, Cherries Graphics or Cherries Pictures.

Category: Arts and Crafts
Keywords: cherries facts, cherries images, japanese culture, school year