Thank you for your reply. That's an analogy. I'm not a photographer either.
For Japanese people, it's a common sight for a "mama (manager) of a Ginza club'' to come to work in a kimono, so if I were a Japanese photographer, I wouldn't notice it, but if a foreigner saw it... What I wanted to say was that people might take photos of this as a uniquely Japanese sight, and that this is a different perspective.
Of course, I know about your 45-year involvement with Japan from reading your blog, and I also know what it's like to work at the U.S. military bases in Japan, which is close to the Atsugi base. I live there, so I think I know.
What I wanted to say is that although most Japanese people today appear to have such spirituality, they actually do not. Since cherry blossoms bloom in spring, Japanese people associate it with the end of winter and new life such as graduation/admission to school. Of course, it also means that picnic season has begun. That was the extent of my understanding when I was a child. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, every spring, Japanese popular songs feature songs about cherry blossoms in their lyrics, as if they were "seasonal products.'' If you look at this "commercialization'' perspective, it is like the public image of Japan that foreigners have. In other words, their knowledge is the same as that of foreigners, and I don't think they have any special feelings toward the rose family.
However, I do not believe that we should seek spirituality from cherry blossoms. I feel that the reason that Japanese people seem to have a special feeling towards cherry blossoms is simply because they have been taught by the media.
However, I'm not going to impose my opinion on you. I think there should be a variety of perspectives. By the way, to tell you how much of a fan I am of yours, last week when I came to a hotel in Atami with an American couple who had come to stay at my home's AirBnB, I asked, "Where in Atami does Tim live? I thought to myself, “Is that true?” Please continue to write interesting articles.
