spring

spring break

It is one year now since our son started kindergarten. In Japan the school year starts in April and there is a little holiday for the students between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next. It is difficult to believe that it has already been one year, and when I …

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magnolia

For some people, spring is cherry blossom, sakura, late March pick-nicks in the park under the cherry trees (and accompanying hay fever). For others spring is warmish February days when the plum trees are in bloom, when you can leave your winter jacket at home and enjoy some vitamin-producing sunlight. Tough I love the cherry …

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hinamatsuri

March 3rd is girl’s day or doll’s day in Japan, coinciding with plum blossoms and arrival of spring. It is an old celebration of girls and young women, focused around a display of dolls, mainly a wedding couple said to be the emperor and empress. Everywhere you go, there are the hina-dolls in different shapes …

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kindergarten

As the cherry blossoms are the most beautiful, graduation ceremonies are held in schools and daycare facilities all over Japan. The weather is pleasant, students have their spring holiday and many of them enjoy this season having pick-nicks under the sakura trees and playing in the parks. After a few years of pandemic restrictions, this …

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3D

Before my cataract surgery, was it not for my previous experience of seeing, I would have been completely lost as to what the world looked like. I spent my days imagining a third dimension in a 2D world with a few mishaps here and there, like poring water outside the glass. So the first thing …

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hanami

Hanami, 花見, literally meaning flower viewing but mostly used for cherry blossom viewing, is I think one of the most popular and favorite past times in Japan; this season everything has the cherry theme, from coffee to sweets to clothes, and everywhere there is a cherry tree, people are stopping and taking photos of the …

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recurring beauty

I wonder if Japanese houses are built with cherry blossom in mind. Cherry blossom, sakura, one of the quintessential symbols of Japan, capturing the frailty of existence while celebrating life in the most exquisite way. During a few short weeks every year, the sakura season arguably exhibits unparalleled beauty in nature; in some ways I …

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the scent of spring?

Sakura season is here. The cherry blossoms are celebrating life just as the state of emergency for the Tokyo area came to an end this week; I sense the hope in people as they gather in groups, anticipating the arrival of summer. In many ways it feels like previous years. Except for the masks; trying …

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spring is in the air

Between the hostile winter winds and the full bloom allergy chock, there are usually a few weeks every spring to really enjoy. Those weeks the air is soft and the plum blossoms are shining white on naked branches. I believe that period is now – on our daily outing, when walking a narrow street sheltered …

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