BLOSSOM TIME

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 153, 30 June 1936, Page 7

BLOSSOM TIME

CHERRIES IN JAPAN

ANNUAL FESTIVAL

It is not for nothing that Japan if universally known as the land of cherry blossoms, says a Tokio correspondent of the "Christian Science Monitor." The exquisite white, pale pink, and deep pink blossoms which appear every year in early spring and vanish so quickly, leaving the trees— which prodiice no fruit—bare for another year are the most deeply cher* ished national flowers in Japan. To the Japanese, with his deep instinct for symbolism, the "primrose fcv the-river's brim" is always something more than a primrose. The cherry blossom is glorified in song and story as the emblem of the spirit of the loyal warrior, the knight without fear and without reproach, who is ready to lay down his life in the, prime of manhood. Its swift disappearance, with its beauty still unspoiled, is contrasted with the tenacity with which some other flowers cling to their stems, even after they have faded. . "Cherry-viewing" ranks high among Japan's national pastimes.' During the short time when the blossoms are in full flower the suburban and longdistance trains are crowded with ex* cursionists, bound for some place which is famous for its trees. Ueno Park, in the city of Tokio, Tamagawa and Koganei, in the suburbs, are rich'in cherry trees and are visited by large numbers of picnickers and exuberant merrymakers. CROWDED TRAIN. And the "cherry-viewing" is by no means confined to the capital and its environs. All over Japan there is the sanie movement. Returning to Tokio from a short trip in the blossom season I found the train crowded with hundreds of workers from a copper mine, accompanied by their wives and children. They were, going to a wellknown shrine which, as is often the case, was set in a grove of cherry trees, for . a typically Japanese outing and holiday.

In the course of the same trip I visited Mount Tsukuba, a mountain north of Tokio which is associated with many legends from the prehistoric period of Japanese history. The side of the mbuntain was lit; «pwith: the bright yet delicate colour of the blossoms; and a remarkably'beautiful effect was produced when a bevy of Japanese women, in many-coloured kimonos, walked up the steps to the local shrine, flanked on each side by rows of cherry trees.

The romantic appeal of the cherry blosspms, is enhanced by the short period of their existence. Late in March or early in April; depending on the weather, the innumerable trees; throughout Japan burst suddenly into bloom. Not only" the favoured beauty spots, but whole large cites, such; as Tokio, Osaka, and Nagoya, seem to be transformed overnight. The residential quarters especially look like huge gardens, with large clusters of the blossoms hanging heavily over, houses and temples and lending. indescribable charm to the entire landscape.

IN THE STREETS. Some streets are lined with cherry trees 'for long distances, while many' of-the little Japanese gardens attached to the small houses along the many winding little uripaved lanes of Tokio have at least one of the highly-prized trees. The Japanese cherry tree" has neither leaves nor fruit, only blossoms. These vanish almost. as suddenly as they appear. A few days of wind and rain, (very common in a Japanese April) carry off the petals like chaff; and the trees are bare again until the next spring. On such days the blossoms are blown through the air like flurries of. snow, and finally cover the ground in layers, creating the impression of a floor after a confetti carnival. The Japanese walk on streets which are strewed everywhere with pink and white' blossoms. The double cherry blossom appears later and remains in bloom longer than the more common single variety, so that some of the eUiereal colour is preserved for a longer period. During the month of April some 400 Geisha girls of the Shimbashi Quarter perform a "chei'ry dance," which-is supposed to illustrate the various aspects of the flowering and disappearance of the blossoms. Its grace and beauty are famous. There is a similar "maple dance" in the autumn.' Cherry buds and blossoms are frequently used as decorative designs ;oa kimonos, porcelain, book covers, lampshades, and paper baskets.