When It Blooms Again

Use → to walk along the road and try not to miss out the memories, as you cannot turn back but keep walking, like living the life. But this is only a game, so you can still stop and observe.

!!Because this work includes video in the last two scenes, which seems not supported by WebGL. So, the WebGL can only perform the first three scenes, and I also uploaded a downloadable version for Windows to experience the rest.!!

The direct inspiration for this game comes from Domoto Tsuyoshi’s song Haru Namida (Tears of Spring).

The song tells the story of an old man who lost his partner. Every spring, as the cherry blossoms bloom, he is reminded of her, and of how fleeting human life is, just like sakura. Tsuyoshi writes about how “you, who will never return,” and “today, which will never come again,” are both connected to the single, unrepeatable blooming of cherry blossoms. The lyrics are filled with both grief and gratitude, reminding us to treasure the uniqueness of every present moment.

I’ve loved this song since the first time I heard it. Later I learned that one of Tsuyoshi’s favorite dogs had passed away, and he once said he might avoid performing this song for a while because he would definitely cry.

It made me think of my own cat, who was still alive at that time. Sometimes the thought of losing him would come to me, and I would panic. Then, the dog of my best friend from high school passed away from age and illness. That night, I kept playing Haru Namida on repeat. I couldn’t calm down until I heard the heartbeat at the very end of the track, after a long outro, after everything had faded into silence…… At that moment I suddenly had an epiphany: The laws of nature, the circle of life. When cherry blossoms fall and return to the soil, they become tears of spring that nourish new life – the cherry blossoms bloom the next year.

We are still alive. Our hearts are still beating. That is enough to remind us: that we only need to focus on the moment that is happening now.

“We must have loved each other deeply. That’s why we can say goodbye with peace.” This was the last sentence I wrote in my diary that day. And I hope this message can quietly come through in my game.

And this diary, this song saved me again when my cat suddenly passed away in March. He died in my room while I was away, just as I was making this game. After that, the project changed. It became something much more personal.

A quiet goodbye. A way to hold him, one last time.