Come the hallowed season of spring all off Japan waits with bated breath as one of the country’s most stunning natural transformations takes place in plain sight. Beloved and revered for its breathtaking beauty cherry blossoms are no ordinary flowering plants in Japan. In fact since time immemorial, these trees and their delicate pink shaded […]
Japanese Year in Sync with the Seasons
One of the first things I noticed, as a schoolteacher in Japan, is that so many countries start their school year in a different month. I come from Australia, where the school year is the same as the calendar year, and so the students begin their classes in January. Being in the southern hemisphere, Australia’s […]
The Best Time to Visit Japan
Japan, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Cherry blossom or Sakura in Japanese. Those beautiful leaves, ranging from a bright pinky colour to a pure snow white. Only problem they are not round very long. Sometimes only a week depending heavily on the weather. Wind and rain are cherry blossoms biggest enemy. Of […]
The Cherry Blossom Festival – A Tribute to Japanese Culture
My first thought about bringing food to a festival seemed kind of strange to me. This is a Cherry Blossom Festival, right? Silly me, who knew the Cherry Blossom Trees, known as Sakura, didn’t give any fruit. That doesn’t stop whole families from partying into the night during this very (very, very) short growing season […]