sakura
Tokyo's spring symbol
Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom, used in English to evoke the flowering trees celebrated in Japanese culture.
The word carries associations of spring, transient beauty, and the annual viewing tradition called hanami: The sakura are in full bloom this week.
In Western contexts, sakura often appears in food names, brand names, and anime references.
Year's fourth month
- MarchYear's third month
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
- vernalRelating to spring
- equinoxSun crosses celestial midline
warmth · renewal · budding · forecast · front · early · late · peak
Bloom's colorful segment
delicate · fragrant · bouquet · bud · cluster · branch · softness · pale
Passing very quickly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- wabi-sabiAesthetic valuing transience, incompleteness
- momentaryLasting very briefly
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
falling · scattering · brief · passing · evanescent · poignant · bittersweet · mortality
Outdoor casual meal
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- lanternsEnclosed portable light sources
- feastElaborate ceremonial meal
outdoor · communal · blanket · sake · bento · crowds · viewing · nighttime
Japanese seventeen-syllable verse
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- imageryVivid descriptive language
- verseMetered poetic passage
beauty · purity · romance · inspiration · tanka · pastoral · idyllic · classical
April
Year's fourth month
equinox · warmth · renewal · budding · forecast · front · early · late · peak · bloom
petal
Bloom's colorful segment
floral · delicate · fragrant · bouquet · bud · cluster · branch · softness · pale · white
fleeting
Passing very quickly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- wabi-sabiAesthetic valuing transience, incompleteness
- momentaryLasting very briefly
ephemeral · falling · scattering · brief · passing · evanescent · poignant · bittersweet · mortality · beauty
picnic
Outdoor casual meal
- celebrationFestive event marking occasion
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- lanternsEnclosed portable light sources
feast · outdoor · communal · blanket · sake · bento · crowds · viewing · nighttime · illumination
haiku
Japanese seventeen-syllable verse
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- imageryVivid descriptive language
verse · beauty · purity · romance · inspiration · tanka · pastoral · idyllic · classical · elegance
kimono
Wraparound Japanese garment
Nara · geisha · ukiyo-e · mochi · bento · sake · shinto · zen · tea ceremony · anime
prunus
Stone fruit group
- ornamentalFor beauty, not function
- graftingJoining tissues to grow together
- branchDivision or woody limb
bark · trunk · roots · sapling · grove · orchard · canopy · shade · landscaping · cultivar
- Prunusprunus, cherry, plum, peach, apricot
- flowersroses, flower, tulips, daisies, lilies
- plantstree, plants, leaves, bluebonnet, trees
- SpringApril, May, spring equinox, spring flowers, cherry blossoms
- Seasonal Motifsautumn, fall, spring flowers, springtime, summer
- JapanTokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Fuji, Hokkaido
sakuraautumn foliage
Colorful dying leaves
maple leaves · fall colors · chrysanthemum · winter snow · ginkgo
sakurapermanence
Quality of lasting indefinitely
eternity · immortality · stone · mountain · pine