This portrait series titled "樱" (Cherry Blossoms) features a close friend and fellow major from my freshman year at university. Our long-standing plan to witness the cherry blossoms together was postponed by the unforeseen circumstances of the Covid pandemic, leading to an extended period of separation.

When we finally reunited in the post-pandemic spring, the cherry blossoms were in full, unprecedented bloom – a spectacle heralded as the most magnificent yet ephemeral in recent years.

Captured against this backdrop, the portraits are more than just a celebration of natural beauty. They symbolize resilience, renewal, and the rekindling of connections lost to time and circumstance. On that windy day, as I photographed her, I saw tears stirred by the breeze, mirroring the delicate petals that fluttered and fell around us. This series is a poignant reminder of the transience of beauty and the enduring strength of human connection amidst life's unpredictable changes.