Not only does he want to avoid the marriage issue that has "reared his head (79)" but he does not want to think about what to do with the relationship with Michiyo. .
Apart from the fragrance of flowers, cherry tree seems to be Daisuke's escape as well. Cherry tree is first brought up when he recounts his walk in the Ueno woods, where he "stepped into the midst of cherry blooms lit by street lights (14)." Hiraoka's initial reaction is that Daisuke is "pretty lucky" to be doing things like going for a leisurely stroll in the woods. Perhaps Hiraoka is envious that while he himself has to struggle to scrape a living, Daisuke lives such an idle life without having to worry about financial difficulties. In another instance, when being questioned by Umeko about what he and his father discussed about, Daisuke changed the topic by saying, "Shall we go cherry-blossom viewing some where (32)?" In still another case, rather than going directly to Hiraoka's house, Daisuke's steps turns in the direction of the Edogawa River where the cherry blossoms begins to fall (118). Going there is Daisuke's way of avoiding Hiraoka, whom he has come to "anticipate an inexplicable sort of unpleasantness" with. It appears that Daisuke would rather remain in the "cherry blossom garden," boundary of his familiar surrounding, than to venture into the world. Perhaps he does this to fend himself off from the outside world, choosing to submerge himself in literature and music while ignoring his family's request to find a wife and a stable job. However, more accurately speaking, Daisuke is actually still groping in the "cherry blossom garden," unable to find a place for himself in the new society of Japan. He is still struggling to find personal meaning in his life, trying to define himself as an individual in control of his own feelings, life and destiny.
When Michiyo visits Daisuke, she is there for a casual chat, but what she has achieved after the visit is what will change the course of both their lives.