Symbol: The Kitchen
For Mikage, the kitchen is a symbol of warmth, comfort, and security. She prefers kitchens to be bright, indicating her innate cheerful demeanor. In her opinion, kitchens should be large, which indicates that she values freedom, as opposed to a cramped place where she is constrained and unable to move freely. In the kitchen, she is at peace and she is herself; others notice her artistry, her elan, and her warmth.
Symbol: Food
Food is a symbol of nurturing and care. Mikage expresses her love for Yuichi through feeding him, e.g., by cooking the lavish meal after Yuichi has told her about the death of his mother, or by bringing him the katsudon when he is alone in a hotel. The symbolism is based on the proverb "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," which, in Japanese, is very similar: "You can snatch a man's heart if you start with his stomach."
Symbol: House Plants
The house plants in Eriko's apartment are a symbol of caring and taking responsibility for someone. Eriko tells Mikage that growing house plants reminds her of her own limitations, which means that without constant care and nurturing, a person will eventually perish. In her opinion, nobody can really be independent, because everyone needs the feeling of being part of a caring network, as a giver as well as a receiver. Additionally, when Mikage first comes to the apartment to have dinner with Yuichi and Eriko, she notices the spring flowers specifically. As they are spring flowers, they indicate new life and rebirth—exactly what is happening to Mikage.
Symbol: The Dark Sea and the Lighthouse
At the end of the novella, Mikage is at the beach, looking at the "endless sea shrouded in darkness," symbolizing sadness and despair. However, she then discovers a lighthouse, which is a symbol for her positive attitude toward life: Even in her darkest moments, she trusts that she will find something positive that will bring her back to happiness.
Symbol: Potted Pineapple
When Eriko's wife was on her deathbed, she told Eriko to take care of a potted plant. Soon after she dies, the potted pineapple Eriko bought withers away and Eriko decides to be a woman. The potted pineapple represents the death of Eriko's masculinity and the start of something new.
