It’s my favorite time of year in Japan now, as the sakura first start to bloom in beautiful colors of pink and white. Sakura trees are everywhere in Japan, planted by cities as part of their urban planning, and all regions of the country advertise their cherry blossoms as the most beautiful in order to attract tourists. The best way to enjoy the cherry blossoms is through hanami or flower viewing, basically pulling out a blue tarp and having a picnic under the cherry trees, and this custom has a long history, dating back to the 8th century. Since my daughter will be attending university in the U.S., this is her last chance to appreciate sakura for a while, so we’re planning a trip to Ueda Castle in Nagano Prefecture, one of our favorite flower viewing sites. There we’ll eat kawaii sandwiches and onigiri rice balls and drink Sakura Pepsi while we contemplate the fleeting beauty of the flower petals.
The other day I was shopping in a supermarket, and I saw a heartwarming sight: a motorcycle with helmet and jacket perched on top, left by the owner as he went in to shop. This was definitely not something I would have done during my motorcycle days back in San Diego, and it made me smile at the general honesty found almost daily in Japan. Of course, that’s not to say there’s no crime in Japan: the rural liquor shop my in-laws run does quite a lot of business on Sundays, since we get the new issue of Jump a day before convenience stores, and on two occasions a thief who knew where my father-in-law kept his cash bag waited for the right moment and made off with it. Personally I’d never betray the trust of the Japanese people who have created such a fine society, a statement that was put to the test one day when I came across a vending machine that had been left open. I could have helped myself to the drinks inside, but instead I hunted down the elderly owner and told her about the problem.
The entire staff of J-List loves the works of Studio Ghibli, from Totoro to Laputa to Ponyo, and we’ve been posting a ton of products every day. Make sure you use that $10 off any order of $50 or more coupon (JLIST1M) when you order. (Single use per customer, expires 4/1).
