The Cherry Blossom Festival wasn't as involved as Nate was expecting. He had seen the various oriental festivals and had come to expect elaborate affairs that sometimes involve street parades, fireworks, and lots of food. But this event was more about people looking at the cherry trees has they came into bloom and little else. To help Nate get a better grasp of this festival, Shuixing had asked Muxing and Manami to explain the botanical and cultural aspects of it.
"The sakura is very important in Japanese culture," explained Manami, "It represents the ephemeral nature of life, of how fleeting life is that it can end between a tree's blossoming and the shedding of its leaves."
"That's a pretty grim outlook," said Nate.
"Well, yes, but it's also shows how beautiful something short-lived can be," said Manami, "Anyways, aren't the trees beautiful? And I can appreciate the flowers even more with my wolf's nose."
"Just to be sure I'm not not missing anything, the main event here is looking at the trees in bloom," said Nate.
"That's what in mainly boils down to," admitted Manami.
"Huh, reminds me of something we have back in the States," said Nate, "People in the big cities drive out into the countryside to look at the leaves change color for the fall."
"Oh, we have that too," said Manami, "In Japan, it's called momijigari."
"Huh, small world," said Nate, "Well, at least later on, you can make some cherry pies or whatever desserts you have in Japan."
"Actually, Japanese cherries are bred more for their blossoms than their fruit," said Muxing, "The fruit these trees produce are small and don't have as much flesh as the cherries you know. They're also quite bitter and are better used in preserves."
"Cherry blossoms and leaves can be eaten though," said Manami.
"Mostly after they've been pickled with salt," said Muxing, "The leaves also contain coumarin, which is toxic in large doses, so you shouldn't eat too much of them."
Nate's ears lowered. "Ok, I can get having a pretty tree to look at, but it's not much use if it doesn't produce any fruit." Shuixing gave him a reproachful look. "I'm a farmer, born and raised," said Nate, "I was brought up to favor function over form."
"I can understand the viewpoint behind that," said Muxing, "Though there are some trees that produce both beautiful blossoms and bountiful fruit, namely the peach and plum trees."
"Ah, the Japanese plum is a lovely tree," said Manami fondly, "It blooms near the end of winter, so it is seen as a symbol of preserverence and hope."
"I do believe we have some of those trees on Heiya already," said Muxing.
"It make take a few years before they get to full cultivation size," said Manami, "But they'll look gorgeous when they do."
Nate turned to Shuixing and asked, "Do you think we can get one cherry tree? Like a wild cherry tree?"
"There are so many cherry trees here now," said Shuixing pointedly.
"I know, but I want one tree that can produce fruit I can eat," said Nate, "Besides, you know how tasty cherries are, especially in pies, tarts, ice cream, and all the various things you can do with the juice..."
"Nate, could you please stop?" asked Manami, "You're making my mouth water."
"Well, I don't think a fruit-bearing cherry tree would do badly here," said Muxing, "They're a pretty temperate plant if I recall right."
"How about we get you one as a wedding gift?" suggested Shuixing, "That might be a good way to start our marriage."
"Among a few other things," said Nate happily.