Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

The Season of the Sakura in Japan, and all about motorcycling across Japan

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
20 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

It’s sakura time in Japan right now, as cherry blossoms around the country explode in beautiful fireworks of pink. This year was very rare: because it was so cold last month, the cherry blossoms were at least two weeks late in opening. A few days ago the weather turned very warm, and the sakura bloomed with a vengeance, attaining zenkai (when the flowers are fully opened) in less than a day. Cherry trees are very common in Japan, and virtually every city has parks and avenues with beautifully landscaped sakura trees. In addition to weather forecasts, the TV news issues “sakura reports” that give information on the state of cherry blossoms in every prefecture, and over the weekend Japan was clogged with happy people doing hanami, or flower-viewing, basically an excuse to spread out a blanket and have a party with friends while enjoying the beauty of the flowers all around you. Although she’s just eight, my daughter is a very spiritual person, and she remarked that there are a lot of sakura trees near the small graveyards that dot rural areas in Japan. It was good, she said, that the “hotoke-sama” (a word that describes both Buddha and the spirits of one’s dead ancestors) can enjoy the beautiful flowers and be happy. Unfortunately the season of the sakura is all too short: already the flower petals are starting to fall, and in a week they’ll be gone.

Japan has a lot to offer foreigners who come to live here, with something different for everyone. Some might experience the country through its martial arts, or submerge themselves in the study of its language. Some fall in love with the famous works of Japanese literature by Souseki Natsume or Yasunari Kawabata, while those with an otaku bent can enjoy a dream life here, surrounding themselves with the icons of their compulsions. And then again, there are the foreigners who experience Japan through motorcycles, cruising around the country and exploring the open road, and I have gaijin friends who find great satisfaction in putting thousands of kilometers on their Harleys or their Kawasakis, trekking to the tops of volcanic mountains to find naturally occurring hot springs and attending festivals in the mountains of far-off Hokkaido. If you’d like to see the travels of some free-spirited foreigners I know, check out this page.

Japan can be a very strange place when it wants to be, as J-List readers are well aware. Now we’ve gotten in one of the most bizarre ever: a sexy “Girlfriend Knee Pillow” (hiza makura) made of soft injected foam, a perfect replica of a mini-skirted pair of legs for you to lay your head on when you need some care and understanding.

Tags: gaijinotaku

More Posts Like This

Screenshot
Your Friend in Japan

Introducing Megumi Express, The Proxy Buying Service From J-List!

by Peter Payne
2 months ago

Last year, J-List began offering a custom order service, giving customers a way to request items from Japan that weren’t...

Happy World Otaku Day
Your Friend in Japan

Happy World Otaku Day! How Is J-List Celebrating?

by Peter Payne
5 months ago

Happy World Otaku Day! Since 2012, December 15th has been designated as a special day to celebrate anime, manga and...

Weeb Fucking Weeb Meme

What’s in a Weeb? Let’s Examine the History of This Word!

1 year ago
Is Japan Xenophobic

No, Japan Is Not Xenophobic. Here’s Why.

1 year ago
The Pain Of Ijime And Fujoshi In Japan

The Story of the Otaku Girl Meme, and Bullying in Japan

1 year ago
New The Making Of Harry Potter Experience

Do Otaku Live in the Past? Let’s Ask Japanese Harry Potter Fans!

2 years ago
Next Post
J-List Default Featured Image

Weird Japanese food, and my collected wisdom from living in Japan

Trending Today

Please Put Them On Takamine San PV2 5
News

The Power of No Panties, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san

3 months ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

2 months ago
Shock! Manga Artists Who Also Created Hentai
Your Friend in Japan

Shock! 15 Famous Manga Artists Who Also Made Hentai

1 year ago
Anime Reverse Image Search Ultimate Guide
Your Friend in Japan

Find That Anime! The Ultimate Anime Reverse Image Search Guide

1 week ago
Haite Kudasai, Takamine San Episode 4 Featured Image
Featured

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 4 — Choose Your Own Adventurous Lingerie!

1 day ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
Happy News! J List's Fiscal Year End Sale Gives You The Best Anime Deals
Your Friend in Japan

Don’t Miss the Best Anime Deals in J-List’s Fiscal Year-End Clearance!

by Peter Payne
May 19, 2025

Makina-san a Love Bot?!, Episode 7 — I Swear It’s Eye Candy

Makina-san a Love Bot?!, Episode 1 — Gyaru Sex Robots?!

Makina-San a Love Bot?!, Episode 2 — Hands Off My Virginity

Makina-san a Love Bot?!, Episode 3 — It’s a Shower Episode?!

The Makina-san a Love Bot?! English Dub Premieres April 30

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.