SAKURA*

*Mt. Fuji is also loved by Japanese people. Sakura and Mt. Fuji, they are similar in many respects. Sakura is like chivalry. Japanese chivalry is Bushido. Bushido lives in our mind. Do not disgrace one's honor. For example, my father said to me, "Don't cry. Because you are a boy! You should be ashamed of yourself."

*Sakura is very beautiful. When it bursts into bloom, it is so beautiful!! But Japanese people used it for the war. War isn't beautiful. The Japanese combat plane crashed into a battleship. Like a Sakura! The cherry blooms are short-lived, and soon fall off the tree. In the same way, a lot of Japanese soldiers died unnecessary. Were their deaths really needed? Is it so beautiful? Misery and sorrow accompany war. But Japanese people deceive using Sakura.
Do you like cherry blossoms?
I think Sakura is very beautiful. But we must not forget Sakura was used by a lot of other things.

Child Research Net would like to thank the Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School and Shintaro Komano, student and author, for permitting reproduction of this article on the CRN web site.