Ume v. Sakura

Ume and Sakura are two of the most Japanese things out there. Ume being the plum blossums and Sakura being the cherry blossums. I was reading a book about Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji, and one of the characters in the book made an interesting point: why are Sakura such a big deal and not Ume? The answer, which I have read in many forms since comming here, lies in part of the Japanese Psyche. The Ume bloom for an extended period of time. Incidentally they are one of the first trees to bloom and usually start in February. The blossums range from shocking pink to white and they are very beautiful. (I have a particular fondness for Ume.) In contrast, the Sakura bloom for a very short period before the petals fall. There is usually one span of days where they are at their best (this year it was luckily a weekend) and after that breif moment they fade and fall. The Japanese appreciate this fleeting and delicate beauty and the way it mirrors the life and death of human beings. It is quaint and melancholy, like so much of Japanese culture.

Plum blossums, not being so fleeting, are not so achingly beautiful. We can appreciate them but not reserve the special emotional bond we feel for the Sakura. I think it is very interesting, and not one of the things that the Americans who attended the DC Cherry Blossum festival would understand. Many people ("schoalers") say that Japanese culture has become a sham, only lip service to what were once real ideals and culture. The young people do not really understand the culture, they say, and it is dying out. But that goes for all young people. You never really start to appreciate things until you get older and realize that these little, quaint things have a very real value. Until you realize that your life is just like the cherry blossums, short and fleeting and beautiful, you do not appreciate what you have.