The cherry blossoms are at peak bloom right now in Tokyo πΈπ
When I see the cherry blossoms blooming in Japan, I always think of the word natsukashii (ζγγγ) and it’s full meaning. The common translation into English is just “nostalgia”. If you know anything about the Japanese language though, you’ll know that a word or phrase is never that simple. Natsukashii is definitely more complex than just nostalgia.
The best way to think of natsukashii is thinking of that warm feeling you get inside when you think of a fond memory from years before. There’s happiness in the memory, and a touch of bittersweet when you remember that the memory is in the past. The biggest difference between natsukashii and nostalgia is that nostalgia has a stronger sense of wanting to return to the way things were. When something feels natsukashii, there’s no desire to return to that time, but instead you feel grateful that it happened at all.
You probably know this feeling well, but didn’t realize it has a word specific for that moment. I know I feel it every November when a Christmas commercial that has been airing since I was a kid returns to the airwaves once again. When I see a sprinkler running on a lawn, I think of summers as a child, running through the sprinkler and playing in the yard all afternoon. The feeling comes up when I hear a song that was an anthem when I was younger suddenly play on the radio.
Most commonly though, the natsukashii feelings are triggered by nature, especially moments that remind you of time passing. I feel it at the end of winter. I hear the song birds return, or the smell of the ground finally thawing fills the air and everything smells like earth and mud and life. I feel it in the summers when the fireflies finally appear around Canada Day, or whenever I smell a campfire somewhere and I think of camping. Even at the end of the summer, when the cicadas start to hiss in the air, I’m reminded that summer won’t last forever. The sense of natsukashii reminds you to be thankful that you had the summer, rather than be sad it’s over.
And of course, the fleeting nature of cherry blossoms is filled with natsukashii. It’s such a short window of time where the blossoms bloom. All it takes is a heavy rainfall or a day of strong winds to cut the sakura season short. When you see the petals blowing in the wind, you realize that part of the beauty is the fact it is short and fleeting. It also reminds you to stop and enjoy the moment when it happens, because you don’t know if it will still be there tomorrow. That is natsukashii. It’s not a sadness that it’s over, it’s a happiness that it happened. It’s also a reminder to not miss moments by assuming that opportunity will always be there.
When I see a sprinkler on a yard in the summer, or I hear a song that brings on a flood of memories of past times, I don’t think to myself “God, I want to run through that sprinkler right now” and actually mean it. I know it’s not really done anymore anyways. Also, if a grown adult actually did start jumping through a sprinkler, it would be very strange and maybe concerning. But every time I see one, my brain thinks of all the summers before . I remember that was something I did and I’m grateful for that memory and that reminder. It’s actually a reminder that the child I was is still inside of me, and I’m still the same person.
Every year, even 17 years after the first time I got to see cherry blossoms, the natsukashii feeling is strong. I think back on the years I spent in Japan and South Korea and the memories attached to those springs. I don’t look at the photos and I wish I could go back to that ESL teaching life, even if I have fond memories attached to those years. Instead, I’m grateful to have experienced those years. They are what led me to where I am today as a travel agent.
I definitely want to travel there again though!
If you want to see the cherry blossoms in Japan so you can also feel natsukashii every spring, working with Have Fandom Will Travel will make that bucket list vacation a breeze. It’s never too early to start planning for spring 2027, so it’s the perfect time to reach out. You can fill out the form below or find my contact information here.
