Cherry Blossom Time in Japan (1936)

James A. FitzPatrick: Self - Narrator

Quotes 

• [first lines] 

  Narrator : Cherry blossom time in Japan is the season of the year when the whole country becomes imbued with the spirit of life and hope that is beyond the comprehension of Occidental minds. For here the cherry tree is regarded as a principle of life whose snowy wand transforms the Earth and gives new powers to the heart which may be shared by all classes from the humblest to the most exalted.

• Narrator : The faces of the geisha while performing in public are covered with Oshiroi, the honorable powder, so that their real features are hardly discernible.

• Narrator : To the Japanese, the fragile cherry blossom is a profound lesson in how to live and how to die. It burst triumphantly into beauty for one short span and then when its time comes to go, instead of clinging to the branch of life, it gracefully yields to the inevitable.

• Narrator : The cherry blossom season has also inspired a rather unique dance which is performed by the geisha or the professional singing and dancing girls of Japan.

• Narrator : In all the world there is no country more tolerant of religious belief than Japan.

• Narrator : The magnificence of the cherry trees' flower-laden boughs and the picturesque flutter of their falling petals, inspired an ancient poet to liken them to the soul of Japan. A beautiful illustration of character of the Japanese people. They worship nature.