*sakura sakura*-part 1

kung hee fat choy!! happy year of the "inoshishi"! i'm glad to hear that everyone is keeping so busy at home!! grandma and grandpa having had yet another enjoyable, and safe trip to vegas...da kanetakes hitting the slopes of mammoth...dad and elo surviving the always crazy and demanding pearl open...alyssa auditioning for a music scholarship to UH (i still can't believe she's going to be in college!)...and to EVERYONE, otsukaresama!!!

we have been experiencing unusually warm temperatures here in nippon this winter. on the news for the past few weeks they have been saying that the temperatures now are typical of late-march/early-april!!! i can't believe that! the snow festival in hokkaido was just two weeks ago, and while it was successful they were showing how some of the ice sculptures were actually starting to melt a little (which was a first!).

at work it's been a little crazy because the japanese school year (public and private) ends in march, and begins in april. our schedules are all going to change, and because amity is a business we are now working hard to ensure that our students continue next year, while also trying to recruit new students as well. my other co-NET (native english teacher), chris, is leaving on march 4th. his contract with amity ends on march 3rd, and because they couldn't find a replacement in time they have to send an "emergency teacher" to iwaki for about a month and a half. then, on april 15th we are getting our "new NET", her name is kimberly and she's from miami...she looks pretty cool. i'm excited because i won't be the "rookie" anymore, but i'm also nervous because i'm the one who has to show her the ropes, and take her around iwaki (yikes she's doomed!)

two weekends ago i went to visit michelle (again) in omiya...we met up with "the group" in swanky, gaijin-infested, roppongi hills to go dancing. it was so much fun seeing everyone again!



this past weekend i spend two days in mito, ibaraki prefecture. i had heard from a couple of people that there have been the first cherry blossom sightings this year in kairakuen park. kairakuen is one of the three most beautiful gardens in japan...another being korakuen in okayama (the first place i visited when i arrived)...and the last one is in kanagawa. i got so excited and had to see it for myself. cherry blossom season usually starts in mid-march (in the warmer regions), and early-april (in the northern regions), so for them to start blooming in february is just unbelievable!!! when i got there it looked like all of the trees were still bare, and i was losing hope, until......





SUGOI ne???!!! ok..so i know it's nothing quite spectacular yet...this specific type of sakura is called kan-zakura. they're not as pretty as the big blossoms but it was still exciting...add that to the perfect sunset over the water, and it was well worth the trip!!



sakura-gawa (cherry blossom river)





soon all of the trees in the park and along the river will be in full-bloom, and you can bet that i will be ready and waiting with my blanket and bottle of sake!! :D haha who's with me??


this tree i found right outside of the station!

that night i met up with my friends who are nova teachers in mito...we went to this yummy katsu restaurant, and sang karaoke for 3 hours :) good times...




the next morning sara and her roommate tiffany insisted that i couldn't leave mito without eating one of these-


it's a strawberry, whipped-cream, and short-cake wrapped in mochi!!!!!! i swear i could've eaten like 10! but i only had 2...i swear! hahaha...it was great! then i went to eat at curry house (this was my first time eating there since coming to japan) and it somehow reminded me of home SOOOO much...and while i was there i was thinking about all the times we used to go there...post-football games, phone orders from while working at jamba, with mike, late-nights at kevins house...goodness! natsukashi ne! i had natto curry (mmm... brianne and jodie know that's the best one!) then i met up with my friend danielle and we saw the movie "the pursuit of happyness" with will smith. cute movie!!! did you see it?? it was predictable....but still inspirational and satisfying...two thumbs up!

oh yeah..while we're on the subject of movies...japan just had their "academy awards" and guess what won "best picture"?? HULA GIRL!! can you believe it?? iwaki-ans are VERY VERY proud of that movie...it started playing in theaters here on september 23rd and it's STILL playing at iwaki theater!!! it's the only theater still showing it in japan...and it's pretty much been playing since i've been here. it comes out on dvd on march 16th and i have a feeling that it will be playing in our theater until then...amazing!! omedetto jake-san!! sugoi!

ok that's about it for now. it makes me happy to hear that everyone is doing so good and staying genki!! i will leave you with a picture of these weird cabbage-looking flowers :) I LOVE YOU all...take care and write to me soon!



love,
andie