Sakura Sakura: Japanese folk song and music video (Spring, 2021)

It's Cherry Blossoms season again! So brand new recording of a traditional Japanese folk song and a music video along with it.

This is my new video SAKURA SAKURA. I hope I have pronounced Japanese fair enough as I'm Spanish. As always done with respect and I love old traditional songs with a lot of "lore" behind them.

My whole neighbourhood is in full bloom now so I took the opportunity to film this (some scenes were recorded before as I always had the intention to make this song). The video has captions and subtitles in Japanese (to sing along) in English and Spanish. I'm also grateful if you can take a second to post a comment over in the channel. Be warned, probably the most pink video you've ever seen and as always hidden ratties in it :)

I usuallly shy away from pink... let's face it pink is not my favourite colour, still this is the most "pink" video ever hahaha :) and It has a reason to be. I make amends with pink when trees are in full blossom... just like now. :)- I do love it in the trees and flowers. Out of my window the cherry blossoms are now in full bloom and here is a traditional Japanese song inspired by them. It's "raining petals" again.
The breeze was sweeping them and they would swirl all around... They start to bloom in April and just a few weeks ago and right now are in full bloom. Short and sweet, the full bloom of Cherry Tree Blossoms peaks only for one week. A symbol of renewal but also the transient nature of life itself. Every Spring the blossoms can transform a dull city street into a fairytale scenery every Spring. It's magic!
You can have them in tea... I've never tried it though I'd feel petty to pluck a flower.

Found a fallen branch on the floor and thus this video came to be

Some weeks ago on my way home I found a huge branch of a blooming tree on the floor. Spring had come early and they had pruned the tree. The little frail little pink flowers were of course unaware they had been severed from the tree and I decided to carry it home to to a cherry blossoms photoshoot as I do every Spring around this year, but this time I decided to "wear the branch" (that has survived almost 3 weeks more in my terrace) as a nymph and record my own take of the traditional Japanese folk song "Sakura, Sakura" (Cherry Blossoms)

Above: Me wearing the branch I found on the floor, It made me feel like a nymph. I used a elastic band to hold also some twigs to make a crown. No flower was picked from a tree in fact I want to remind everyone not to pick flowers from the tree, legends say it brings bad luck, and they are beautiful where they're meant to be.

pd. My little branch being watered had time to turn the blooms into leaves... so sad but I'm happy it lived through this little video I've made (filmed mostly in March 2021 except for a few takes from previous years I had already)
They usually bloom mid April (Plum blossoms a bit earlier in March, both appearing in the video ) though the flowers only last for a couple of weeks. Its beauty is fleeting but also a symbol of renewal. Present in countless poems and folklore legends, it blooms in full splendour then falls with the wind soon after. It represents the transient nature of life itself. The leaves are born copper brown and turn green in Summer.
Japanese tradition say you should never pick a petal, blossom or branch from a cherry tree, it brings bad luck... probably this was meant to prevent people from taking the flowers from the trees. Well, I did not... I collected all the blossoms one windy morning when it had rained petals and even full flowers.

Sakura Sakura (Cherry Blossoms ) Translation

The video has captions of the song in 3 different languages, original in Japanese, English and Spanish.

Original Japanese Lyrics (Rōmaji)

Sakura sakura
noyama mo sato mo
mi-watasu kagiri
kasumi ka kumo ka
asahi ni niou
sakura sakura
hana zakari

sakura sakura
yayoi no sora wa
mi-watasu kagiri
kasumi ka kumo ka
nioi zo izuru
izaya izaya
mini yukan

Translation (English)

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
In fields, mountains and villages
As far as the eye can see.
Is it mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the rising sun.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Flowers in full bloom.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the spring sky,
As far as the eye can see.
Is it mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come now,
Let's go and see them.

FIND FUFUNCHIS :) (the hidden ratties, as always) 🐀🐀🐀

There are two hidden ratties, Tuula and Ritva. They are quite difficult to spot unless watched on a full screen, :) so if noone finds it in a few days I'll share a gif to prove they're there :)
By the way I used to talk a bit of Japanese with my "fufunchis" and I used to call them "watashi no sugoi nezumi" (my wonderful ratties)

Sakura Blossoms

Sakura (桜 (kanji), 櫻 (old kanji), さくら (hiragana), サクラ (katakana)) is the Japanese term for ornamental flowering cherry blossom trees that belong to the genus Prunus. Cherry blossoms are along with Chrysanthemum the national flower of Japan. The image of Japan in Spring is invariably linked to white and pink flowers. Still these trees are now widespread in other countries and I'm blessed to have many of them in my neighbourhood as my town has a sisterhood with a Japanese town.

Blossom festivals: The tradition of Hanami and Yozakura

In Japan, during this season people celebrate the ancient tradition of Hanami literally means “watching blossoms,” and friends and family gather, bond and celebrate, even parties to meet new friends. The custom may have started during the Nara period (710–794). It was originally a way to worship the goods Nature provided. People believed in spirits (kami) that would inhabit the trees and made offerings and partook with sake.

During the night Hanami shifts name into Yozakura (that means cherry blossom at night). In China they have also "blossom festivals". I was born in La Palma, the Canary Islands, and there we have a similar tradition around the blooming of almond trees.

^{Above: Painting by Toyohara Chikanobu (1894) Women in Edo Palace. License: Public Domain}

Cherry blossom trees belong to the genus Prunus

The most popular variety of cherry blossom Prunus yedonensis has white flowers with a light pink tint. Very delicate, but the ones around my neighbourhood that belongs to the variety Prunus serrulata "Kanzan" that actually comes from China and that blooms in clusters of double pink blossom, each one with 20-30 petals. It is sterile and gives no fruits. Vigorous, upright they are sturdy trees that prefer sunny spots. And are likely the more widespread in cities all over the world because of its spectacular blooming and later on lush shady canopy in Summer.
The town I live in, Pamplona (North of Spain) has a sisterhood with Yamaguchi (Japan) so we are blessed with many Cherry Tree Blossoms around April and early May.

Final result and the meaning of the color pink: Unconditional love, tenderness

I tried to convey tenderness, sweetness and innocence... fragility too, things often related with this this colour. Pink is often related to our "inner child". Overall I liked the result, I think it looks very vulnerable but also "starry eyed and full of hope".

Pd: I made the crown myself, I wish I had realized to change the paper roses for cherry blossoms... but overall it was at hand and it fitted with the colours and mood.

I'll admit it... I'm not very fond of the colour pink... I almost never wear it... And I guess that is because I happen to have very blonde hair and blue eyes, If I wear pink I suffer the the cliché and or stigma of Barbie Doll... So it's been a colour I avoid to wear. I never played with dolls really...

But in all fair honesty It is indeed a very feminine colour yet still much more than that.

I have to say I have made amends with pink thanks to Spring blossoms... and I started to "feel" the pure energy of this colour too. I love pink in Spring when it explodes all around me.

The colour related with caring and understanding...
It combines the passion of the "red" and the purity of the "white" combined.
It is also considered the universal colour of love to ourselves and others. Also associated to the idea of "unconditional love"
It's related hope, with empathy and also with our childhood.
I am myself a grown child, and still very naive in many ways
It is related with health. We say "rosy cheeks"

During Spring and because it's time to bloom and renew, I am doing a special series of articles and photo shoots about flowers. I like the metaphorical idea of "blooming" during this season... and I'm undergoing a time where I have been nurturing the seeds of my dreams so they can grow, and hopefully bloom.

All pictures in this article are copyrighted to me Priscilla Hernandez @yidneth in collaboration with @hedac. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks always to all my patrons supporting at https://patreon.com/yidneth and also to everyone voting and encouraging here on hive.
Also the track if you want to download it is free for patrons and it's available on my bandcamp at https://priscillahernandez.