entry nº 29 // 20180820

spring in japan is a dream. cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, wisteria… it feels luminous and hi-def and it sticks around longer than you expect, especially having become accustomed to boston springtimes, which can feel fleeting and mercurial. shoko had been talking it up for some time, that springtime in japan, saying things like “you’re going to love that springtime in japan.” i fully expected her to be right, and, sure enough. 

springtime here means hanami, cherry blossom viewing. people usually pack their bento box, snacks, drinks, whatever, and go picnic under the cherry blossom trees. it’s awesome. i managed to really max out that week-or-so when the cherry blossom trees were at full bloom – went twice w/ two different japanese study groups; once for a drive into the countryside w/ shoko; once w/ capoeira friends; and at night to ōhori park with shoko and her mom, where they have a whole nighttime event there, w/ spotlights illuminating the trees at night. lots of people, there, at that one. 

one highlight – shoko and i are sitting out on the beach having a drink, as we often do, and we look down the way and see the hillside shrine far down the opposite end of the bay lit up brightly. what’s that, we think? and decide to take a stroll down that way. pass by a house down toward that end w/ a big beautiful cherry blossom right in their yard, lit up nice w/ a spotlight, and everyone’s sitting out at the table underneath, tail end of dinner, just drinking and chatting now, hushed warm conversation mixed in with the sound of the waves rolling up the beach. stopped a minute to chat with them before strolling onward. 

got to the shrine at the end, there, a few minutes later (kuma no jinja, it’s called), and the scene was straight out of a ghibli movie. cherry blossoms in full bloom, spotlit from below, a few groups of people w/ their picnic blankets spread out underneath, kids running around, maybe a little past their bedtime but it’s a special occasion, only comes once a year, and it fills me with that feeling, parents having given permission to stay out a little later than usual, warm spring evening, damp rich fragrant air, children’s laughter reverberant off the stone steps. we met a cool young mom w/ four (!) boys who lives in the neighborhood and chatted with her for a while before making our way home. that was an excellent day. 

i feel very lucky to live here, to have all this in my neighborhood.