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• 1 2025-06-30T16:27:58-04:00 “Hana wa Saku (花は咲く)," lyrics by Shunji Iwai and music by Yoko Sugano, contributed by Mana Tsuruta (2025) 1 plain 2025-06-30T16:27:58-04:00
  
  “Hana wa Saku” was commissioned by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) to be used as the theme song for the NHK Great East Japan Earthquake Project, a disaster support initiative launched in 2011 following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Shunji Iwai wrote the lyrics, and the music was composed by his classmate, Yoko Sugano, from his hometown that was washed away by the disaster.
  
  This song is in a major key, but there's a sadness to it. It acknowledges the regret that tends to accompany grief: “What did I leave behind?”, “There were dreams to be fulfilled,” “Got hurt, hurt them.” The lyrics then change to “Now I just feel a longing” and “Now I just feel love,” which accept how we can’t change the past, and how even bitter memories remind us of how much love there was. What I like about this song is the message of hope. The earthquake happened on 3/11, the start of spring. With the repeated line “flowers will bloom” we are reminded of the beauty we can find in the wake of suffering.
  
  
  真っ白な　雪道に　春風香る
  I can smell the spring breeze on the white snowy road
  わたしは　なつかしい
  I feel a longing
  あの街を　思い出す
  I remember that town
  
  叶えたい　夢もあった
  There were dreams to be fulfilled
  変わりたい　自分もいた
  There was me who wanted to change
  今はただ　なつかしい
  Now I just feel a longing
  あの人を　思い出す
  I think about that person
  
  誰かの歌が聞こえる
  I can hear someone's song
  誰かを励ましてる
  cheering someone on
  誰かの笑顔が見える
  I can see someone's smile
  悲しみの向こう側に
  beyond the sadness
  
  花は　花は　花は咲く
  Flowers, flowers, flowers will bloom
  いつか生まれる君に
  for you who will one day be born
  花は　花は　花は咲く
  Flowers, flowers, flowers will bloom
  わたしは何を残しただろう
  What did I leave behind
  
  夜空の　向こうの　朝の気配に
  In the hint of morning beyond the night sky
  わたしは　なつかしい
  I feel a longing
  あの日々を　思い出す
  I remember those days
  
  傷ついて　傷つけて
  I got hurt, I hurt them
  報われず　泣いたりして
  Cried when things didn’t work out
  今はただ　愛おしい
  Now I just feel love
  あの人を　思い出す
  I think about that person
  
  誰かの想いが見える
  I can see someone's feelings
  誰かと結ばれてる
  They're united
  誰かの未来が見える
  I can see someone's future
  悲しみの向こう側に
  beyond the sadness
  
  花は　花は　花は咲く
  Flowers, flowers, flowers will bloom
  いつか生まれる君に
  for you who will one day be born
  花は　花は　花は咲く
  Flowers, flowers, flowers will bloom
  わたしは何を残しただろう x 2
  What did I leave behind
  
  花は　花は　花は咲く
  Flowers, flowers, flowers will bloom
  いつか生まれる君に
  for you who will one day be born
  花は　花は　花は咲く
  Flowers, flowers, flowers will bloom
  いつか恋する君のために
  for you who will one day fall in love