Springtime.. Oh, yes!

Spring is around the corner… or is it?

All the signs are there from the scent of すいせん　suisen (daffodils) to sunnier and longer days. April is here, finally.

So what’s on the agenda in J-land:

The main thing this time of year is the　はなみ　hanami (flower viewing) season. To enjoy this moment, all you have to do is grab yourself some びる　biru (beer) or any さけ　sake (alcohol) and have it under the さくらのき sakura no ki (cherry blossom trees), and have a light conversation with your friends. However, I advise you to bring a light jacket because it gets really nippy at night. So, when is the best time? Well, it’s between the end of March to the beginning of April. さくら (cherry blossom) is very sensitive so it’s best to follow the weather reports on the telly or newspapers first before heading off to see it.

April Fools Day, 1st April in Japan is fairly strange. J-peeps understand the concept of it but they haven’t actually grasped it in practice. Back home, in Blighty, pranks are used to the max but here it has very little or no effect at all. There maybe cultural differences but I can assure you J-peeps are good as using puns as the Brits.

Earth Day, 22nd April. I got this date online in fact. But I’m not 100% sure when it’s on in J-land as I believe it coincides Mother’s Day, which is in May. I had to mention this because there are various Earth Day events each year in Japan. It is usually in spring or summer.

Showa Day, 29th April is what everyone is waiting for, the first day of Golden Week. It also means heavy traffic and what I call ‘people-overload’ on public transport and in major tourist attractions.