fleeting

お花見には出かけましたか。心構えもなしにのぞむ人が多いようですね。
さて、ここのfleetingとはどんな意味でしょうか。最近、その存在すらつかめないSugarくん、どうぞ。（UG）

花の色は　うつりにけりな　いたづらに
わが身世にふる　ながめせしまに

EARLIEST CHERRY BLOSSOMS EVER IN TOKYO

Cherry flowers had begun to bloom on March 16, in Tokyo, about two weeks earlier compared to the first blooms last year, according to Japan’s Meteorological Agency. It is a record for the earliest blooms ever in the area and it matches the one in 2002.

Hanami or cherry flower viewing is a popular activity in Japan, where tourists and local people come to gaze at the delicate pink flowers. The tradition is similar to autumn leaf peeping in New England, the international press comments.

The cause of the early start to cherry blossom season is the temperature that was unusually high in the last period, reaching records of 11 degrees Celsius in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture and 11.5 degrees in Nishi-Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture.

The blooming season is short, and the delicate flowers, which give the trees a rosy-white hue, are vulnerable to weather conditions such as rain and wind. These are the reasons for which most blossoms last only for one week.

In Japan, the short blooming season means that winter is over and spring is on its way, while the fragile cherry blossoms are also a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life.

http://www.tokyotimes.com/2013/earliest-cherry-blossoms-ever-in-tokyo/