The Nature of Komorebi
Komorebi – Komorebi (木漏れ日) is a Japanese word that describes the beautiful, dappled effect of sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees, creating dancing shadows on the forest floor.
I came across this word recently, and it felt like discovering a language for something I’d always noticed but was never able to put into words.
Komorebi isn’t just about light. It’s about presence. The way everything slows down when you stop to watch sunlight move through the leaves.
It’s nature’s way of saying, be here now.
When I sit outdoors and watch the light flicker through the branches, something inside me feels like it can let go and breathe. My mind is always busy, racing with the next thought, the next idea, the next thing that needs to be done. There is always another responsibility demanding attention. But in this kind of stillness, something changes. I find peace, not just for my mind but also through the lens of my camera.
Photographing Komorebi feels like capturing calm itself. It is not just light I see, but something I can feel, a quiet reminder that peace does not have to be found, only noticed.
There’s a line from the film Perfect Days that captures the essence of this feeling.
“Next time is next time. Now is now.”
It’s simple, but it says everything.
We spend so much of life thinking about what’s next, what could be, what should be, that we forget to notice the sunlight dancing right in front of us.
Komorebi is a reminder.
To look up.
To let the light fall on your face.
To stop trying to capture time, and simply experience it.
Next time will come soon enough.
For now, this is enough.
I love this. It reminded me of my trip to Bryce Canyon in Utah last April. The imagination runs wild when thinking about the way these beautiful canyons are given depth and profile by the millennia of marked time. I had the similar experience of watching changing patterns of shadows as the sun did its natural thing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
That truly sounds like time well spent, taking a moment to pause and appreciate the wonder and history of time itself.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
This is true, spoken by you from your heart. Yes the future can wait. And the past can go now. Many of us dwell on the past and how it has impacted us. We can learn from the past, and let it go.
Now is now. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Janis. You phrase it so beautifully. The future can wait and the past can go. What a wonderful way to phrase the present moment.
Now is now.
What a wonderful reminder to enjoy each moment rather then chasing time. I love this quote.
I’m so glad you like it! It’s such a beautiful concept that’s always right in front of our eyes.
So very true
This is very beautiful.
Thank you so much. I’m so glad you find it beautiful.
What? No one has commented yet on this meaningful piece?
Thank you for sharing! I had no idea either that there was a word in Japanese to describe this. “Dappling” is also a good description of the sun playing with the shadows amongst the leaves.
I wish I could say this brings me peace too, however I find it more peaceful when the sun is dancing on a body of water at sunset ♥️.
I just want to make sure everything is working. Can you see the comments of the others?
It’s my pleasure! I also had no idea until I stumbled upon it.
I agree with you there. The sun dancing on a body of water is just as mesmerising. I’m sure there must be a term for that, too!
Does Komorebi also apply to the sun dancing on water at sunset?
I’m not sure. I will ask someone I know from Japan and get back to you!
Beautiful imagery, not just with your camera, but with your words. Thank you, Hannes!
Thank you so much for your kind words Dana! It always means so much to me.
You’re welcome!
I hope you have a wonderful day!
I absolutely love this article.
I am Japanese.
There’s a great place in Japan to feel the dappled sunlight.
It is a shrine.
It is a place where the gods reside.
It is surrounded by many trees in a quiet and solemn atmosphere.
The light filtering through the trees is soft and brings peace to my heart.
This is my favorite place.
Thank you for feeling the 木漏れ日through the trees with your heart.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you like it.
To be at a shrine and experience this must be even more meaningful. The way to describe it sounds so peaceful and beautiful.
Does Komorebi also apply to the sun dancing on water at sunset?
You’ll probably really like the dappled 木漏れ日 in the shrine.
It certainly has a special air and atmosphere unlike any other world.
The dappled sunlight in the shrine forest makes me feel the joy of life.
The sun reflected on the water at sunset is a beautiful sight, but it’s different from 木漏れ日filtering through trees.
Why not experience the dappled 木漏れ日at a shrine?
That sounds like a wonderful experience. It sounds peaceful and powerful at the same time. I would love to experience something like that!
Sunset reflected on the water is a beautiful phenomenon that appears at dusk, and I like it.
Indeed, the reflection of the setting sun on the surface of the water seems to sway and dance.
However, it is different from sunlight filtering through trees.
It can be said that the sunlight filtering through the trees is a uniquely Japanese way of expressing a sense of nature.
That’s so true. It is incredibly beautiful. Is there a particular word or phrase for sunlight reflecting in water at sunset as well as the feeling it gives?
Fabulous! You can’t find two trees that are identically the same, they just co-exist. Thanks for the post 🙂
So true! My pleasure!
I just got educated (ekseni) in the morning 🤩
I’m so glad I was able to share something new with you!
Thank you for introducing us to Komorebi. It’s something we feel so often when we’re in a park (we’re city people). Enjoying the light, the wind through the leaves, the various colours, trying not to think about what’s next.
It is my pleasure! I just had to share it. It seems to be resonating with everyone and that is amazing. It is such a simple experience but it brings so much peace and appreciation for the small things.
Love this <3
I’m so glad to hear that!
I also like taking photos like flowers, and botanical garden, my own garden just nice nature. I will share with you next time. I just want to do my books first. Then I have other site to create photos. Keep doing it.
That sounds wonderful and lovely. You are right. It is best to take it one thing at a time. I hope you enjoy it!
Such an amazing message. I needed to read this today. God bless you 🙏
I’m so glad it meant something to you! I hope you had a wonderful day!
😊
🙂
The line “Next time is next time. Now is now.” Beautiful. It’s so easy to get in the cycle of “living in the fast lane.” But to slow down and experience God’s beauty in nature ! Wow 🤍
That’s absolutely right! I highly recommend the movie, Perfect Days, where the quote is from.
“It’s nature’s way of saying, be here now” reminds me of a phrase I read many years ago: “Wherever you are, be there.” Live in the moment.
I learned the word komorebi from the book Forest Bathing: The Japanese Art and Science of Shinrin-Yoku, which is about the benefits of spending time in nature.
Exactly that. I love that quote. “Wherever you are, be there.” Thank you so much for sharing your article about not just the benefit but the importance of spending time in nature.
“Now is now” – if only we could acknowledge that without wishing to run away, into the next thing?
So true. It serves as a good reminder to take in the moment and enjoy it for what it is.
This is a really good post quite beautiful word pictures you paint.. I actually had intended on learning some Japanese and I learned one more today thank you
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so glad I could share another Japanese word with you.
So much about Japanese life, language and culture is beautiful. Having a word for such an effect is inspired.
You’re absolutely right. Japanese life and culture are so inspiring. It’s so connected to nature.
Very nice description of photography and Komorebi. Thank you
It is my pleasure! I’m glad you liked it.
I think ‘komorebi’ is is my new favorite word!!
That is wonderful to hear! I’m so glad I was able to share it with you!
This is so lovely… and true! Thank you.
Thank you so much Donna!
a wonderful word, describes my day at the Portland Arboretum yesterday.
It definitely is! It sounds like you had a beautiful and peaceful day.
And now I know the word that I’ve been searching for… Komorebi! ☺️
I’m so glad I was able to share it with you!
There’s something about the light that is refreshing and even the warmth on your face as the breeze gently caresses your face that you that reminds you that right at this moment you’re alive.
This is so beautifully said Christine. This is exactly what it is.
Very well said. A new word to remember. And thanks for the quote from “Perfect Days.” I’ve just rented it.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I watched “Perfect Days” yesterday. A lovely film — and toilet cleaning is, from my Buddhist perspective, what it’s all about.
As my teacher Suzuki Roshi once put it: “the best practice will be to clean restroom. So wherever you go, whatever monastery you may go, you will find out someone– some special person who is cleaning restroom always. We do not clean our restroom just because it is dirty. Whether it is clean or not, we should clean restroom until you can continue it without any idea of clean or dirty.”
I am genuinely pleased to hear that you enjoyed it.
You are absolutely right, and I appreciate you sharing that remarkable story from your teacher. It is the sort of wisdom that lingers, something worth sitting with for a while. It is not about cleaning because it is dirty. Clean it either way.
It brings to mind a story about meditation. They say, close your eyes, focus on your breath, and count to a thousand. Then a million. Then a billion. You will never reach it, because by the time you do, you will have stopped counting. And that, is the entire point.
Right on, bro.
Cheers!
So well said. The simple things get overlooked too often. But they are the most satisfying
They most certainly do and most certainly are!
A good message. Photography is one way I try to be present in the moment
That is wonderful to hear David. Have you ever seen such a beautiful moment that moved something so deeply within you that you did not take the shot, and instead just stood there, taking it all in?
Not quite, but what I have done is taken one or two shots then started resenting the camera so put it away and just enjoyed being there for the rest time. It was a good decision – I have a photo to trigger the whole memory.
I can definitely relate to that. Sometimes it is enough to take just a few photos to capture the memory, and then simply set the camera aside to truly take in the moment and enjoy it.
I appreciate learning a new word and relate so well to the experience of watching the light flicker through nature. It’s especially beautiful this time of year on the east coast.
I’m so glad I could introduce the word to you! What makes it so particularly beautiful this time of year on the east coast?
To look up, … To me that says it all, … We sometimes wander looking straight ahead or down, missing out on so much beauty in the world,…Komorebi, …a word to hold onto and experience, …✨
That is so true! Komorebi is such a beautiful phenomenon to experience.
A beautiful, relaxing art form. God bless.
That is beautifully said!