warning: deep post ahead. get a drink first
Mono no aware (物の哀れ), literally “the pathos (empathy) of things”, or “a sensitivity to ephemera”, is a Japanese term for the awareness of impermanence, or transience of things, and both a transient gentle sadness/wistfulness at their passing as well as a longer, deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life. ”It’s basically about being both saddened and appreciative of transience – and also about the relationship between life and death. In Japan, there are four very distinct seasons, and you really become aware of life and mortality and transience. You become aware of how significant those moments are.”
Leave it to the Japanese to get DEEP about pretty pink flowers eh?
Over the years, I think I’ve developed a sense of this ‘mono no aware’ though I didnt know of it by name. I am a nostalgic piece of shit who hoards holds on to everything, and takes tens of thousands of photos to capture moments. Japan has been a perfect place for psychos like me who spend weeks making a puzzle only to deconstruct it the next day for reboxing. It’s great to be surrounded by people who can appreciate the temporality of things~
Last week, I woke up to find that the tree outside my window had been a sakura tree the whole time! This sentence holds more joy than I can express so I’ll let the following flashback story do its thing..
The spring before I left home was the last one I spent with Apple, I remember it because on our walk to gramma’s house, our usual path was lined with fallen sakura petals from the massive trees on both sides of the road. Vancouver is blessed to have been gifted thousands of cherry blossom trees from Japan dating back to the 1930s. Idk why I remember this walk tbh. Maybe cuz I was about to move away for uni and was probably reminiscing the times we’d walked to gramma’s, how pretty the trees were, how much I would miss my dog or some dramatic shit like that LOL I was a dark, moody teen tryna live life like a music video ok.. Anyways, I’ve got this perfect memory of capturing this photo in the middle of the street- a happy golden retriever, tongue out, laying down among pink petals on an empty road and just silence around us. (Wish I could find this photo but I swear it’s real. EDIT: found half of it) I didn’t realize until after moving away that that was the last time I would see cherry blossoms for years. But hey, at least that memory comes back from time to time.
A lot happened after I left home (duh, u kno, life n shit); I graduated, went 6 years without seeing sakura, my dog passed away <3, and I moved my ass to a 48yo tatami hut in the countryside of Japan. Tbh I kinda forgot about sakura until I realized I’d be living in Japan. And I always thought I’d be venturing out to the city to see the sakura but what do u know, the universe put one right in front of me. (peep the aforementioned tree’s evolution feat. my daily bread)
The Japanese have this beautiful tradition of お花見 ohanami (花= flower, 見= see), sakura viewing parties, where family and friends gather under sakura to enjoy mochi and sake from afternoon to evening (if u ask me, the Japanese r doin this life thing right.) There are special parks dedicated for hanami and many trees are illuminated for one week, every year. In line with social distancing though, I did not venture to major cities for any sakura festivals but instead enjoyed my personal sakura tree and MY OH MY they live and die fast. They seemed to bloom more and more overnight and then the leaves turned green just as quickly. It was simply beautiful to witness its vivid temporality.
“The significance of cherry blossom trees in Japanese culture goes back thousands of years. In their country, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and beauty of life. It is a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful, but that it is also tragically short.” (Homaru Canto)
Through these trying times, I hope you find the beauty in temporality; this pandemic will pass, stresses and pains in life will pass, but as they do, let’s take a moment to appreciate the beautiful things that come (and go) with it.
aware as fuck,
A
anntanya 