IntroductionIt will only grow in spring. For less than a month, he remains in total adoration atop a pedestal of growth and beauty. When his time comes to an end, he falls gracefully to the earth in a light flurry of pinkish snow. The fleeting life of the Japanese cherry blossom, or sakura, has become a symbol of fleeting beauty for the Japanese, and its blooming is a widely celebrated event throughout Japan. Hanami, or flower viewing, is a tradition in Japanese culture created during the Nara period (710-793 AD) where many people gather to celebrate the beauty of flowers during cherry blossom festivals (Anonymous 24). This traditional custom of admiring beauty is still relevant today, where young and old can come together to praise the pure and perfect beauty unique to Japan. Today, walking through a cherry blossom festival, one would be surprised to observe the youngest ones. generation. The unassuming, unassuming Japanese woman has been swapped for a bold, energetic machine racing full speed into the 21st century. Twenty years ago, Sumiko Iwao took note of a widely held stereotype in her book The Japanese Woman boldly stating: "The woman dressed in a kimono, carrying a bamboo parasol and bowing, walking three steps behind her husband remains the image that many Westerners defend” (Iwao 1). Today, this image is no longer true. Japanese women are becoming more and more like Western women, burying their kimonos and shamisens deep in the vaults of their memories. In a Japanese advertisement for Palty hair dye, a young woman has dyed her hair blonde and wears blue contact lenses. Her appearance resembles that of an American starlet completely enveloped in glass...... middle of paper...... becoming characterless and bland. The rising female generation refuses to explore their personal individuality and instead gives in to societal pressure. Due to this overabundance from the West, there have been negative side effects on their mental and physical health. Like the geisha, the crooked teeth trend and Lolita fashion, Japanese women must find their own uniqueness. It is tolerable to look elsewhere for advice for the future. However, Japan must remember its famous history as part of protecting and remembering its cultural history. Even though Japanese culture will never again be what it was in ancient times, it still struggles with the old and the new. The influx of Western ideas will continue to drown out the vaunted ideas of the East. Japan will escape this battle as a country forever changed, forever scarred, forever transformed..