Cherry blossoms

The air is gradually warming up, and the long-awaited cherry blossom season has finally arrived.

From my desk at the office, I’ve been watching the early-blooming cherry trees display their deep pink blossoms since early March, even before the ‘Somei-Yoshino’ variety.

Cherry blossoms are truly mysterious flowers.

I get the feeling that what all Japanese people truly cherish is not so much the individual blossoms themselves, but rather the scene of them in full bloom. That scene evokes a variety of memories in each person who sees it.

In Japan, the cherry blossom season coincides with the season of graduations, school enrollments, and new job starts.

New encounters, farewells, and hope. Memories that are joyful and full of hope, yet tinged with a touch of sadness.

When we immerse ourselves in memories, our thoughts drift away from the present moment and wander into another world.

The scenes that come to mind are more emotional than the things we think about in our daily lives; they are things we have forgotten, and sometimes they are things that were once very important to us.

Stepping away from our current thoughts clears our minds and can serve as an opportunity to rediscover something precious from our childhood that we had nearly forgotten.

At OKURADO “Cherry Blossoms” collection, we create a variety of jewelry featuring cherry blossom motifs.

Through OKURADO’s jewelry, I hope that customers can momentarily forget their present concerns and be reminded of various memories.

Every year, cherry blossom season reminds us that “the seasons turn, and everything changes,” and that “the only constant is change.”

Of course, it’s important to stay informed about the rapid changes happening right before our eyes and the ever-shifting state of the world. However, if we become too preoccupied with the events unfolding before us, we may, before we know it, forget the precious things and feelings that once welled up from the depths of our hearts when we were children or young adults.                 

The colors of nature that struck us as beautiful the first time we saw them, the clear, beautiful stones we found on the beach, the sight of cherry blossoms swirling in the wind—and so on.

Perhaps it is unique to cherry blossom season that, as I contemplate jewelry designs, I am reminded of such feelings.

Hitoshi Okura

OKURADO