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AROUND the country, the cherry blossom will soon reappear. It is a bloom that has a special place in the human heart. It has inspired poetry, such as AE Housman’s evocative lines: “Loveliest of trees, the cherry now/ Is hung with blooms along the bough,/ And stands about the woodland ride/ Wearing white for Eastertide.” Cherry blossoms are indigenous to many Asian countries, Japan especially having a wide variety. There they are an abiding metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life because they have such a delicate flower and bloom for a short time.

They can also signal good fortune, are an emblem of love and have been used widely in Japanese art and on everyday items such as kimonos, stationery and dishware.