March 24, 2021
Renewal
Spring is seen everywhere as a time of renewal, especially in Japan. It is the time businesses hire and schools start the new academic year. It is also the time the when the sakura / cherry blossoms bloom, which is early this year due to warmer temperatures. The love of sakura comes from their fleeting beauty - such a feast for the eyes but gone in a few days. This fleeting beauty and the implied appreciation of it is known among Japanese literary types as mono no aware, or in Japanese ものの哀れ.
Let's take time to look around and appreciate life and nature's beautiful and get our minds set for a renewed outlook on this year's study and work.
