Here are some photos of our cherry blossom party last saturday. A teacher from our company organized it, and although it rained ALL day, it was fun, and the trees were beautiful against the grey sky. Our party was the one at the very farthest point along the left side of the river, but when i took this picture, i had no idea of that. We spent a while trying to find them, and on the way, we got some delicious festival food.
People have been sitting beneath the blossoms like this since they came out last week, and it seems that any time of day, there they are, eating and drinking and chatting. The trees are often hung with lanterns for night time parties. It's a beautiful time of year here.
View from under my umbrella.
Here are a few ACC teachers (Mandy among them) and one student (on the right). 
The trees were so full of blossoms that they seemed burdened and weighed down by them. The one branch is actually dipped into the water i think. I always like umbrellas in photos too, so i waited until a couple came bobbing along the bridge to catch them. It didn't take too long, don't worry.
This is our party from a little distance. The slightly inebriated crew somehow put up a tarp to shelter the people. The barbeques, however, became flooded and refused to cook anything at all. 
THE PRETTIEST FLOWER OF THEM ALL! (Mandy)
Here are some of the ACC crew. Mandy, James, Tilly, Miya, Jacey, and making the face is Rob Lowe, a great man from England who married a Japanese woman and just had a baby! We got to meet the little man at this party. He hung out in the tent with his mother. Well, there ya go! I'm slowly realizing that we're well past our half-way point here in Japan. We only have 4.78 or so months left! It's going very fast, and now we have to brace ourselves for a long, hot, humid, rainy summer. I'm not too excited about the extreme heat, but each season has beauty and good things.
Mandy is diligently watering her balcony garden every day, and her lettuce and carrots are coming up well. Things grow well here, and now our balcony is full of potted flowers and vegetables. We even bought a lattice for some sweet peas to climb around on. They love it.
3 comments:
Viewing the cherry blossems is a very Japanese thing and quite enshrined in their culture. I'm glad you two had a real chance to immerse yourselves. Have you developed a taste for sushi yet?
UD
We have enjoyed sushi for some time now, and even a little sashimi, which is the raw fish. i prefer sashimi with rice, but sometimes they gobble it down alone, and it goes against my mennonite instincts! meat is supposed to be cooked, and it goes WITH potatoes.
in general, Japanese food has been very enjoyable. i am surprised at the variety of cuisine available. often, restaurants will specialize in one certain type of food or dish. in north america, we don't have a clue about the variety and deliciousness of Japanese food. it's not all raw fish and fish eggs and poisonous fish. sometimes it's not fish at all. are you a fan of sushi?
quote of the day "meat is supposed to be cooked, and it goes with potatoes" Rodney I can't remember the last time I had potatoes, other than french fries from MacDonalds!! Great Hanami pics...I can't wait for the parties this weekend.
Post a Comment