もう一回日本の玲: It's getting spring

Sakura 桜, that means "cherry blossom" in Japanese and is the definite start of spring in Japan. Everyone is waiting for it; the news are updating their prognosis about the first open cherry flowers; people clean and organise parties. My Professor as well, and though I'm able to look forward to a "Hanami" (花見) party next week, or maybe two, or three. "Hanami" means "to watch the flowers" and means more precisely that you sit with a bunch of people under a cherry tree, drink alcohol and have a BBQ. This may be just an other excuse for an Australian to have a BBQ or for a German the perfect opportunity für's "Angrillen", but for a Japanese is Sakura a serious business. Spring means that the life start again and so many important things in life are timed to this day. The first of April. Today (or better tomorrow, since it's Sunday) starts the first Semester of University, kids need to go to school again, and all graduated students will begin there Job tomorrow (like me). Students already start to look for a Job more than a year before the next first of April. This "Shuukatsu" (就活) is a tiresome process, with many to fill out paper work - so called entry sheet - and interviews all over Japan. But I may write some other time about this in detail, since I need to go through since process as well.

So spring also mean to move on and so did I move on in to my new apartment, which is also my old one. I'm back in Handayama　(半田山), the same building as 2.5 years ago but a different room. It's Johannes old room. When I gaze out of the window I can see the "Handayama Shokubutsu En" (半田山植物園), the botanical garden of Handayama and it's visitors - mostly old people - who're already checking if Sakura might has come a bit earlier than the weather guy has said. I already miss Saidaiji (西大寺) and Machis home. I should write a bit more about it's architecture, since it is modern, but build in a traditional way mostly out of massive wood, but also this a bit later. Machis Dad is writing a blog, for those of you who are able to read Japanese (http://isuyugawa.blogspot.jp/). But I'm more than happy that I can come when ever I want to visit them. Machis Dads was so kind to lend me his 20 years old racing bike which I just had to fix a little bit. I might need to change the tires some day but everything else is perfect and the feeling when riding it, is amazing. It's actually the first time that I'm riding a racing bike, but the 12 km track to University from Machis place was quite pleasant. Her Mum helped me to move my things, mostly furniture Machi had already organised for me before hand. On my way to my apartment I bought a little plant for my room. It's tiny yet but it may grow little by little such as I will set my root here and grow little by little. It's spring, so the best season for planting!