Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Japan Tour 2018 - Blog #5

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

"Hanami" is a tradition in Japan of welcoming spring.  We had our own hanami celebration last night.  Ryoko and Kiwa did some secret leg work and brought in several helpers from Shigakkan’s elementary school to put on a special evening for our girls. 

It started with a group of kindergarten students performing a few songs for us before practice.  They made origami necklaces for each of us and we took a large group picture.  The children were excited to practice their English on real Americans.  After practice, the girls hustled back to the dorm where there was a crew of women waiting to assist in their preparation.  They got their hair done and put on kimonos.  It took them almost two hours to get ready.

We ate sushi, took some pictures and then went outside for the cherry blossom viewing.  We sat on benches and drank matcha (green tea).  It was a lot of fun and our girls really felt special.  I’m happy that they were able to participate.


Cherry blossoms are a big deal in Japan right now.  They literally seem to be everywhere.  People organize trips and vacations around the blooming of the “sakura.”  They’re stunning, but short lived.  We didn’t plan our trip based on the cherry blossom season, which usually occurs the first week in April, however, we are extremely lucky to be here during this season.


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