"Haru yo (“Spring, Come”)" katawara‐Lyrics and Meaning

Hello! This is KAON, bringing you Japanese music with passion and clarity.

Let us introduce katawara’s song “Haru yo” (“Spring, Come”).

It begins with simple, gentle tones and gradually intensifies toward the latter half.
The music video mirrors this progression—starting with darker, shadowy visuals that slowly brighten, perfectly matching the song's mood.

This piece beautifully captures the essence of spring in Japan—the spring of the Reiwa era—in a way that feels almost tangible.
The transition from the cold of winter to the warmth of spring resonates deeply with our emotional shifts during this time.

Rather than focusing on how vast the world is, the song reminds us to cherish the flowers blooming right in front of us, and the moments shared with those by our side.
Spring, among the four seasons, feels particularly gentle, tender, and delicately fleeting.

Be sure to watch the music video and enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms.

Lyric interpretation

淡い雪が名残れば
When the faint snow lingers,
暖かい春は積もる
The warmth of spring begins to settle.
窓の外で貴方の
Outside the window,
はなうたが咲いた
Your gentle humming began to bloom.

Just as snow quietly piles up, spring also gently accumulates.
And just like flowers begin to bloom, so does your humming voice.
These lyrics use beautiful metaphors that highlight the elegance of the Japanese language.
You can sense the subtle arrival of spring in familiar, everyday moments.

春が来た
Spring has come.
春が来た
Spring has come.

At first glance, the phrase “Spring has come” may seem like a plain statement of fact, but within it lies a quiet joy.
Perhaps that’s why it's repeated—it holds a soft excitement, quietly expressed.

風は光り、草木を模るように吹き抜ける
The wind shines, Sweeping through the trees and grass as if tracing their shape.
微睡みの中で
In a dreamy haze,
あなたの影に手を伸ばす
I reach out toward your shadow.

While winter brings a silvery, colorless world—white and transparent—spring is full of color.
The hues of flowers and greenery, even the wind seem to glow, wrapped in light.
As that warm wind passes by and I reach for your shadow,
I feel certain that I’m surrounded by happiness.
Even the word "dreamy haze" feels like a poetic reference to spring.

遮るる季節の中で　いつも
Even though the seasons that come between us,
そばで笑って
You’re always there, smiling by my side.
花が散るまで
Until the petals fall,
世界の広さなど知らぬままでいい　春よ
I don’t need to know how vast the world is. Spring, just stay like this.

“Until the petals fall” likely refers to cherry blossoms.
Having someone dear smiling by your side—that alone is enough.
That alone brings happiness.
More than understanding how wide the world is,
I just want to hold onto the small, gentle moments right in front of me.
So much so that there’s no room to think about anything else.

流るる時間の中で　いつも
In the flow of passing time, always,
ああだってこうだって
We'd go back and forth—this and that—
言葉が舞った
Words dancing in the air.
眩暈がするほどに
So dizzying at times,
紡ぐ想いは貴方だけ
And yet, my feelings are spun for you alone.

Being able to have casual, silly conversations like “this and that” is a kind of happiness.
Those everyday moments are precious, and from them, feelings for “you” quietly grow.
Everyone feels spring differently, but for this narrator, it's a gentle, tender kind of joy.

巡るる季節の中で　いつも
Through the turning of seasons, always,
そばで笑って
You smiled beside me.
花が散るまで
Until the petals fall,
世界の広さなど知らぬままでいい　春よ
I don’t need to know how wide the world is. Spring, just stay.
淡い雪が名残れば
When the faint snow lingers,
暖かい花は積もる
Warm flowers begin to settle.
僕のそばで貴方の
Beside me,
はなうたが咲いた
Your gentle humming bloomed.

The phrase “warm spring” transforms into “warm flowers.”
And the scene shifts from your humming blooming outside the window to blooming right beside me.
Even as spring days quietly pass, these little changes bring quiet happiness.
Even when the flowers fall, these precious moments of spring will live on in my heart.

Summary

How did it feel to you?

Spring is a season that carries many emotions as it passes by—
New encounters, farewells, the beginning of new chapters in life.
Cherry blossoms bloom for only a brief time,
and maybe that fleeting nature is what stirs such deep, bittersweet feelings in us.

That’s why each person has their spring
and their memories of spring that they carry through life.
This song may be simple, but it beautifully condenses all of that into one incredible piece.
There aren’t many artists who can express spring in such delicate detail.
I hope you’ll listen to it while reflecting on your spring, too.