What's with the cherry blossom?!
Question:
What's with the cherry blossom?
In Japanese cartoons,movies, and games, there's almost always images of cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. Is there any symbolism to this?
Answers:
Cherry blossoms are the flowers most beloved by the Japanese. Because cherry blossoms have short blooming times and are fragile, they have been used to symbolize the transience of life; this symbolism meshed well with the teachings of Buddhism. Also, since cherry trees blossom en masse, they have also been used as metaphors for clouds. Fallen blossoms, not to be ignored, are likened to snow and later, as a metaphor for a warrior killed early in life.
Also look up hanami (flower viewing) at Wikipedia if you're interested.