Throughout the novel the sisters are constantly exposed to the beauties and destruction that the cycles of nature produce, changing and affecting their lives for brief and lengthy durations. Change in nature perpetually occurs and learning to adapt to its inconsisten

Nature's cycles are vast and endlessly progressing. Threading it's way through the lives of the Makioka sisters, change burdens and at times terrifies them. But it is these evolving transformations within themselves, each other, and their environment that they must in turn come to accept and respect. Nature is an intricate part of Japanese life and culture, reflecting many aspects of their lifestyle and beliefs. In having central aspects of life concentrated around nature, one must learn to live with it's rhythms and cycles. In an attempt to accept the changes that constantly occur around them, the Makioka's must also accept the impermanence which continues to pass within their own daily lives. The subtle suggestions that Tanizaki incorporates into The Makioka Sisters truly reveals the deeply rooted connections concerning impermanence within the lives and experiences of the sisters and those that occur in their environment.

Although anticipated with enthusiasm, for the beauty and significance that they bring, the cherry blossoms reveal symbolically the passing of each year and the cycle of saddening change that inevitably occurs. "The flowers would come again but Yukiko would not. It was a saddening thought, and yet it contained almost a prayer..." (89). Each year the sisters grow older, and soon the tradition of experiencing the blossoms all together will simply be a treasured memory. Sachiko is particularly engrossed and drawn to the cherry blossoms each year as she accepts an understanding of spring.

For example, as massive flooding consumes the Kobe-Osaka district with destruction, the Makioka's lives are consumed with upheaval; and yet, this inevitable chaos encourages realizations for Sachiko and transformations within Taeko. The most disastrous flood in the district's history, its transforming effects on the river are vividly described as, "less a river than a black, boiling sea, with the mid-summer surf at its most violent" (Tanizaki 176). Its burdens afflict the land, and all of its inhabitants, from scuttling crabs and dogs to the Makiokas, Stoltzes, and countless other families. Physically destroying homes, railroads and schools, the flood claims lives amidst clouds of dust, mud, and sand. The rain viciously reveals its overpowering capabilities. As Sachiko searches for occupying distraction from the worry that she endures concerning Taeko's safe return, she is drawn to the pictures of Taeko's performance of "Snow" from the previous month. The effects of the flood and its devastating pos

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Approximate Word count = 1702
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)