Mono no Aware- with Sonoko Ishii

Today we zoom over to Tokyo, and find out about the bittersweet feeling of Mono no Aware. It's a delicate emotion; both happy and sad, and one that's mostly used to reference the brief blooming of the cherry blossom trees in Japan. The nation are delighted to see it happen but sad to see it end, which perfectly encapsulates what Mono no Aware is all about. A joy, accompanied by a knowing sadness that the joy will not last long.

Translator Sonoko Ishii, who is from Japan and works mostly with the theatre industry, helps us to delve into the emotion and why it means so much to people in her country. She also gives her own experience of the emotion, from another part of her culture- delicate Japanese fireworks. Maybe Mono no Aware extends past the cherry blossom trees, and into everyday life? Let's find out...

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