These past two weeks have seen the start of the Sakura season, which is perhaps one of the most important seasons in Japan. Japanese people are fiercely proud of Sakura, or the blooming of the cherry blossoms. The trees stand bare for 48 or so weeks of the year, but for two or three weeks Around the time of April, they bloom, showering the skies (and later the streets) with sheets of pink and white. The reason why they are so revered here is because they are so beautiful, yet they only last for such a short time before being blown off by the wind.
Kudanshita, where my school is, is one of the good places to view. Office workers, students and families line the parks and avenues to stare at the Sakura and to take pictures. It is also the time of some unofficial park parties. With the warmer weather and the nice view, it is not long before the Sake is cracked open!
It seems as bit of a shame to see the Sakura on the floor being trampled on. It is not long before the sea of pink becomes a not so nice trash sort of colour, but there are still plenty of them on the trees to admire.
In other news, today was the last day of term, and the end of the beginners class. We had graduation and I received my certificate- there will be a picture of it soon. I also had a test because I needed to be graded before going into the intensive class- but the test was shoddily supervised and I am quite dissapointed, because there is no way that that test (30 minutes long only!) can give an accurate accont of my ability. This next week is a holiday for me, so I am just going to go to Jiu- Jitsu, teach, and say goodbye to the majority of my friends, who are travelling back to their countries.
