Although spring officially started here nearly three weeks ago, it has just been in the last few days that it’s really felt like it. I am now wearing boxers around the pad instead of sweats, sleeping and lounging with the windows open, and hanging laundry outside to dry. Have to say it feels damn nice. Winter in this country is not like winter in America. Because of the lack of insulation and central heating in nearly all places, you never really escape the cold. Sure you can turn on your kerosene heater and sit under the kotatsu but those are temporary fixes. For, as soon as you decide to, say, go to the kitchen for a snack or take a shower or get up to water the plants you are plunged back into the cold. And of course, you don’t leave your heaters running all night, for fear of death, and when you wake up in the morning you find that the temperature just outside your blanket is the same as it is outside. It’s fun at first, but after a while grows old and you find yourself willing the earth to tilt back towards the sun.
So because of all this, when the weather does finally start to warm up, you really notice it. Hell, in all my joy I’ve even started to run again. Of course, part of the reason for this lies in other areas (namely a slight gut that I am going to get rid of—call it that extra winter layer courtesy of a damn fine Japanese diet), but waking up in the morning and realizing that you’re not a prisoner under your covers when you don’t see your breath and that you are actually free to get up and dance around without the fumes of kerosene is a great thing. In fact, this sense of freedom was so strong in me that I just had to enjoy it to its full potential with a good run. So I did and have been every couple days since and hope to keep it up. But enough about me.
Spring in Japan is a time for rebirth and beginnings. The new school year starts, employees start new jobs and new positions, rice gets planted, and, just like in America, baseball season starts. But of course, the most identifiable aspect of the arrival of spring in Japan is the blooming of the sakura (cherry blossoms).
Sakura have no equal in America; and what I mean by this is that you don’t have loads of Americans getting all excited about the arrival of some form of flora. I imagine in some town somewhere in America there are some citizens who do celebrate slightly when some kind of flower blooms, but here we are talking the whole country and we are talking for generation after generation. They take this so seriously (in a fun way) that the government puts out a report on it each year listing when the wave of sakura are expected to reach certain cities and towns and the nightly news does stories about the local areas to best view the trees. Here in Kofu the sakura began blooming this last week and today are looking to be about two days from peaking.
The Japanese also tend to use the sakura as an “excuse” to get outside and celebrate the arrival of spring. They sit under the trees, they eat picnic bento, they drink sake under the trees, and generally have a good time being outdoors. And if you’ve ever lived here and amongst these people, you’d know that they are not often seen eating and drinking outdoors. In fact, at the local fort/castle I never, for the entire rest of the year, see anybody sitting under the trees eating and socializing. But during the sakura week there are old people, young students, groups of men, and young couples all out there, enjoying the show and each others’ company. It is really quite an interesting custom and is one sterotype about the Japanese that seems to be true.
But alas, the blooming of the sakura also means their imminent demise. They don’t last long--a week to ten days is all. By this time next week the ground around the trees will be littered with fallen petals and the breezes will spread them around in a reminder that life is brief. In fact, I read somewhere that the Japanese, at least those of the more romantic nature I would assume, liken the life of the sakura to that of the samurai warrior, beautiful and short.

Got a few new faces around the kencho. Yesterday was my first day in the office with all the newbies and I have to say, there are quite a few of 'em. In an office of about 25 people getting about 8 or 9 new bodies really mixes things up a bit. For me, anyway. I am sure they are all used to this process.
During the day yesterday not one of them came to me to introduce him or herself. I wondered about this but didn't think too much of it, though, given the language barrier and the fact that at the end of the day we'd be having a welcome party. I figured it would all get done there.
And it did. Last night we had a party and I got to meet most of them. In fact, I got to meet a few people who don't work in this office. I have no idea why those people were there. Three girls I met work at the information desk in the main building. Why they were at our "private schools division" party I have no idea. But they were nice gals and seemed to enjoy meeting me. One of them spoke very good English as she lived in Australia for two years a few years ago. Of course, this just led to my embarrasment for not being able to speak her langugage but she didn't seem to care. She actually told me that wants to go back and live in Australia again but her husband of one year isn't too keen on the idea. Oh, and regarding her marriage and my question as to how long she'd been married she told me, "One year...so it is still good." Heh heh. Had to laugh at that one.
Anyway, was a good party once it got going. One of my favorite parts happened when one of the guys that has been here a year came over to me to fill my glass--this is gesture of friendship in this country that perhaps America could learn from but one that I find rather strange at times nonetheless--anyway, he came over to me, and fairly early in the night, to fill me up and said very loudly, "MAH-KAHS! ARE YOU DRINKING?!" and offered me some beer from the large bottle he was holding. I just laughed and said, "Of course" to which he then laughed and repeated, "HA HA! OF COURSE!" Then after he finished topping off my glass he said "AH MAH-KAHS, I LOVE YOU!" and laughed and laughed and then hugged me. It was quite touching in a weird sort of way. But I really do like this guy. He's fun.
After the main party some of us went out to "party number two" which ended up being in a bar decorated with "western" stuff: a poster of Clint Eastwood from one of his western films, a wagon wheel hanging from the ceiling, a rifle behind the bar, a couple horseshoes hanging on the walls, lots of wood, etc etc etc. Was interesting but well done.
They also had a stage on which sat a kareoke maching with microphones and all and after just ten minutes in the place the twelve people or so I was with talked yours truly into breaking the ice and singing the first song. So I did and after that almost everyone took a turn during the next three hours, which also saw me return to the spotlight twice. I'm getting to be an old hand at this kareoke business. I don't even get nervous anymore.
So that was that and I was home by midnight. Smartest move I made last night, though, was sticking to beer. Why they had the party on a Monday night I can't figure but we all had to be here today and I did not want to feel bad. So beer only it was for me. And I feel fine. But my yelling/hugging friend might not have taken such wise precautionary measures. He's not here today. Heh heh.

Men in black....and brown. That's Toshi Yamashita and me. Let us be your tour guides. 

I can read that! It says Minobusan. The first two kanji make up the "Minobu" part which is the town name. The last kanji is "san" (or "yama" but I won't get into all that again) which means mountain. Aha, and you thought I couldn't read, didn't you? 

The sakura (cherry blossoms) are just beginning to bloom. Spring is coming and by next week the Japanese people be doing slightly crazy things like sitting under trees while sipping sake. 

One of the buildings that make up Kuonji. 

Kuonji is a very elaborate temple. 

Gonna be even more colorful around here very soon. 

These are the "287 steps to enlightenment." They go up to Kuonji, a famous temple in Minobusan (I teach up here, too--when the school bus decides to pick me up). I think the "enlightenment" comes from the slightly dizzy feeling you get when you finally reach the top. Dad and I climbed these, too, last year. 

Amy got Toshi a tie from Hawaii. The man likes funny ties and this one has a bunch of little "hang loose" hands on it. If you knew this man you'd find this quite fitting. 

This is young Massa, the up and coming phenom who will someday make his start in Japanese pro ball and eventually come to America where he will play for the San Francisco Giants. He is currently playing second base for South Ryuo (a town over from Kofu) and bats 2nd or 6th depending on the coach's lineup for the day. This day he had been at practice all day, 8am to 4pm, and then upon coming home asked his father if we could all go out to play catch. So we did. Massa (9 years old), Shuhei (14), Toshi (their father) and me all hit the ball around and had some fun. Amy took pictures and tried to avoid getting hit. According to Toshi, this was a day that Massa will long remember--the day he played catch with an American.

I hadn't thrown a baseball in years. But somehow I managed not to break the windows of the house behind Shuhei. 

Ichiro Massa somehow missed the ball and I was forced to play backup. 

Some of us have been drinking beer and sake, but somehow young Shuhei manages to look the most drunk of all of us.