A Year in Japan: Spring in Japan

Spring has definitely arrived in Japan and I am absolutly loving it. The days are warm, I am only sleeping with two comforters at night, and everyone just seems to be in a good mood. The students are currently in the middle of a two week "spring break" but most of them are still at school almost all day everyday doing club activities. The break has been very enjoyable for me as it means two hour lunch breaks in the park, a lot of good reading time, and endless hours of sports including some new ones like soft tennis (kind of like outdoor squash). Everyone, including the newscasters, are just buzzing with excitment over when the sakura, or cherry blossoms, are going to arrive in my area. They usually start in Western Japan and slowly move East until they reach the Northern island of Hokkaido in late May. They only last about a week before falling down so people take full advantage of packing in the parties and festivals...I am very excited. The trees are covered in buds in my area which means that they should hopefully start blooming this weekend.

The outdoor pictures are from my first long (and painful) hike of the year--this is an old deserted restaurant that looks like a castle and some eerily blue river water

This weekend I went to my first real tea ceremony after doing some little ones with the students at school. The thing that impressed me the most wasn't the actual ceremony, but the overall event since it seemed to be THE place to go and be seen on a Sunday morning. The ceremony took place at the third largest paper company in Japan in a huge beautiful room. The mother of the seven children who own the company put on the ceremonies in five shifts of 60 people each. My Japanese teacher, her two friends, and I arrived about two hours early to meet and greet many of the "elite" of the city. Almost all of the women were fully done-up in beautiful spring kimonos with intricate hairstyles and makeup. Tea ceremonies are fascinating and I think they really portray some of the everyday aspects of Japanese culture. They are based on full equality between the tea server and the guest and there are many designated times and ways to bow. There are also detailed steps for folding and refolding the napkins, for receiving the sweets and the tea, and for turning the teacup appropriately while drinking (two turns of 3 o'clock to 6 o'clock beforehand and the opposite rotations after finishing the tea). Afterwards, we saw many of the tea-goers out for sushi lunch and then out for coffee. Then, I finished the day with a 250 person Chinese/Japanese potluck party. It was an excellent Sunday.
I hope that spring is warming your area and finding you happy and healthy!