Cherry Blossom Yet to Bloom

Words such as soft， gentle and elegant are used to describe Japanese cherry blossoms. When tens of thousands of flowers are in full bloom and their pedals shower down， it not only shows the flourishing of Spring but also the vanishing of a momentary beauty. China and Japan have experienced ups and downs in their relationship since the two countries normalized diplomatic relations. And now， the bilateral relationship has deteriorated and become icy-cold since the Japanese Government announced its purchase of the Diaoyu Islands last year. With Spring approaching， we expect a thaw in the bilateral relationship ushering in a brilliant new period. It was against such a background that we， led by the ChinaJapan Friendship Association， came to Japan on a mission of friendship and with a modest attitude of wishing to learn.

I

Japan is a country about which the Chinese people have mixed feelings— hatred， love and admiration. It is a country “difficult to deal with”.

Some people hate Japan， cursing it and encouraging military confrontation with it. When mentioning Japan and thinking of history， we cannot but link it with horrifying terms like “germ warfare”， “massacre”， etc. It inflicted unhealed wounds upon the Chinese na- tion in the last century. Even today， it rubs salt in the wounds of our people with its acts of paying homage to dead war criminals of the war of aggression against China， and scrambling for the Diaoyu Islands.

Yet most people like Japan. Animated Japanese TV series such as Tetsuwan Atom （Astro Boy）， Digimon Adventure， Doraemon， etc. are wellknown in China and have accompanied us during our childhood years when China then lacked a powerful momentum for animation development. The healthy and fine Japanese food such as Sushi， Sashimi and green tea has won wide praise in the world. Sony， Nikon， Mitsubishi and Toyota — without Japanese digital and electronic products and cars， our life will become monotonous and the world will run at a slower pace.

We cannot but admire Japan， a country that has won numerous international titles such as “a nation of longevity” and “a livable country” etc. Beijing and Tokyo are world metropolises with dense population； Beijing should learn from Tokyo its well developed urban infrastructure， particularly its traffic and sewage systems. Both countries can display the excellence of calligraphy and tea ceremony， but more modernized Japan has combined more closely with these traditional art originated from China. And both claim to be states of etiquette， but the marks of Japanese tourists’ civilization level in various indexes issued by the international tourism evaluation organizations are generally higher than those for Chinese.

II

I major in Japanese language and literature， and have been learning Japanese for 18 months. I had had contact with Japanese students studying in China. However， my understanding of Japan was just limited to visual media， internet， books and lectures of my teachers. I had not actually experienced different aspects of the Japanese society. So I really counted myself lucky to be one of the university student representatives to visit Japan and to see for myself the real Japan.

Fresh air， beautiful environment， forest of skyscrapers， tidy and clean streets， complete infrastructure and high level automation， all these are comments I want to make on Japan， but what has impressed me the most is Japanese people’s generally modest attitude and their willingness to help others.

“Excuse me”， “Sorry” and “Thank you” were the words I heard most often in those days. Almost in all the public places， I could see the sincere smiles and enthusiastic attitude of attendants in providing services. No wonder some say that， in Japan， one can really have the experience of “Customers are God”. Perhaps， the Japanese feel that it is customers who have provided them source of income. Besides， I was also impressed and moved by a helping hand extended to me by a Japanese when I got lost. It happened one evening in Sendai. As I could not find a post of- fice， I halted and looked around from an overpass. I was just unfolding a map when a middle-aged woman walked up to me and asked in English where I was going. I was taken aback and looked at her. She then asked me in Japanese what place I was looking for. We were strangers， yet her readiness to offer assistance showed the high quality of the people in this country. This tiny act is enough to let people feel the warmth of society.

III

March 11， 2011 was a day that the Japanese people will never forget. A 9-magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan and destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The ensuing huge tsunami swept away cities and towns and engulfed lives by tens of thousands. Today， with highly developed science and technology， mankind can transform nature and create an unprecedented new civilization， but is still unable to resist the destructive power of catastrophic natural disasters. Life is far more fragile than we think.

After all， this visit to Japan was not a sightseeing trip. We went to visit the quake-stricken area with a sincere heart to comfort the traumatized survivors. During our stay， we listened to lectures given by Miyagi prefectural officials and learned about the extent of destruction by the earthquake and the restoration plan. We visited some institutions of higher learning including Tohoku University and Waseda University and witnessed the efforts made by the students there for recovery. We watched a live video of the disaster provided by Sendai Television Inc.， in which we saw people’s horror and helplessness when catastrophes strike. We also visited the Disaster Prevention Center and experienced the mammoth power of earthquakes and hurricanes. Among those activities， our visit to Yuriage District deeply affected me. Compared with the pre-disaster period， this is a lonely small town. As it borders on the sea， it has been almost wiped out by tsunami. And in fact I felt the dilapidation， desolation and depression after the disappearance of its previous prosperity. I even seemed to have heard screaming and sobbing from the debris and ruins and felt their desperation and sadness. Disaster is always much crueler than we can imagine. We cannot forget the tragedy of those victims.

The reconstruction in the disaster-stricken area is going on in an orderly way. During our visit， we learned about the reconstruction plan for the area. The comprehensive and careful work arrangement and envisage of wonderful future moved us. Maybe the slow restoration of infrastructural facilities just reflected the meticulous and uncompromising attitude of the Japanese， who would prefer to be steady rather than to rush in order to build a more disaster resistant new urban system. The material construction like infrastructural reconstruction is undoubtedly important， but the rebuilding of psychological home for the survivors would allow no negligence. On the one hand， media such as Sendai Television Inc. produced documentary films to tell the world about the disasters and reconstruction； on the other hand， banner streamers “Come on， Tohoko” could be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys to uplift people’s spirit. We expect that a brand new northeastern Japan will appear.

Unlike the peony which symbolizes prosperity and wealth， cherry blossom better symbolizes of the Japanese group character. I came back to China on March 11 as cherry blossom commemorative activities were held all over Japan.

The severe winter has ended and next we shall usher in an exuberant spring. I would like to compare the Sino-Japanese relationship and the recovery of the Japanese disaster-stricken area to a cherry blossom. A cherry tree needs fine rain to water and gentle breezes to caress to bloom in profusion. What is more important， it needs its own will for upward growth and the vitality produced thereof. Japan should make an effort towards this.

I think that on the future road of life， what we can do is to dedicate ourselves and contribute our bit to the cause of the Sino-Japanese friendship， apart from expressing our best wishes.