As the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms fades and their delicate petals flutter away, our gaze turns to nature's next transition. From April through May, the Japanese archipelago dons a new vibrant cloak of colors.
Emerging from the forests where the sakura have retreated, vivid reds and pinks begin to dot the landscapes. The azaleas, known as tsutsuji, are blooming. Entire hillsides and mountain slopes become awash in what appears to be flaming clouds, signaling the earth's reawakening after winter's slumber.
In the mountain villages, azaleas are just one part of the seasonal transition. Irises with deep purple petals emerge around ponds while subtle gradients in the vibrant new greenery create patterns of exquisite intricacy. The shift from season to season is intricately woven into the very landscapes.
This overlapping procession of blooming reminds one of the tiers of a traditional lacquered jubako food box. Each decorative layer features its own colors, patterns, and materials. Yet when stacked in harmonious arrangement, they coalesce into a unified work of art.
As the cherry blossoms whirl away, the azaleas ignite into brilliance, and verdant new growth emerges, it becomes a period to savor the lush impermanence at a leisurely pace. Each fleeting moment feels precious and worthy of gratitude as the transition continues towards the next season.
Like the natural world, human life too progresses through its own transitions – joys and partings layering one after another. But if we can find beauty in those transitions themselves, just as we do in the cycles of nature, perhaps we can enrich our lives.
Just as the traditional jubako reveals new perspectives with each opened layer, so too does the appreciation of the ephemeral transition from one season's splendor to the next's offer an opportunity to embrace the perpetual metamorphosis of existence itself. Savoring each remaining moment, while allowing it to give way to the next, may be one of life's greatest arts.