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Spring coming into view!
It seems that spring has been trying break through recently, with some nice weather warranting some time outside. The clocks will also be 'springing' forward soon, making the days even longer, trips back from the office will now be brighter! Flowers and trees are slowly beginning to bloom, have you noticed any nearby blossoms that have caught your eye recently?
Japan's early blooming cherry blossoms have come to peak bloom, and now we are eagerly anticipating the blooming of the remainder across the country. We'll be approaching peak bloom in the coming weeks, but remember, the further north you go, the later the cherry trees will bloom, so keep this in mind when you are planning your trips!
February marks a change from the snow to the stunning sea of cherry blossoms, but it will still take a little bit for all the snow to melt. The Kawazuzakura cherry blossom festival was held in February, with its end even extending into March. Plum blossoms in Kairakuen, one of the top 3 gardens of Japan, will also be celebrated with the Mito Plum Festival from the middle of February to March. Are there any exciting cherry blossom spots you're looking forward to seeing? Remember, sometimes taking the road less travelled will find you stumbling upon a wonderful cherry blossom sight!
This month we have Akita Prefecture, delicious food, spring, and more - let's go!
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Sata Andagi is a traditional Okinawan donut style sweet, kenjcooks shows us how it's made!
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Tohoku's Akita Prefecture is a delight in winter and all seasons, let's see some of what we can do here!
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Otaru, a city situated a short trip to the west of Sapporo, is a wonderful spot for a day trip.
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Learn about making spa-katsu, a famous dish from Kushiro in Hokkaido, with chef Tim Anderson!
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With spring right around the corner, let's take a look at some spring festivals in Japan!
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Experience Japanese culture with some in-depth tours!
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Saying goodbye to the snow and cold!
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Spring is quickly approaching, trees are flowering and skies are blue, let's find a kigo for this month!
Our word this time is 春の夜! Read as 'haru no yo', this word translates to 'a spring night'. During a chilly spring night you can feel the slightly warmer air, and the coming flowers and blooms. Let's see what sort of haiku we can make!
Haikus are made with a 17 mora combination in 5-7-5 style, with occasional 'kireji' punctuation.
Our first line has our seasonal word and is 5 mora - 春の夜に (haru no yo ni)
Then a 7 mora line - 人歩き出す (hito arukidasu)
And lastly 5 mora - 桜かな (sakura kana)
Completed, our haiku reads as -
春の夜に (haru no yo ni)
人歩き出す (hito aruki dasu)
桜かな (sakura kana)
On a spring night,
People out walking,
Is it cherry blossoms?
Haiku writing can be challenging yet fun, have you written one before?
Send a haiku you've made to our Instagram account @visitjapan_uk and we may feature them in future newsletters!
Here's some highlights of what we've learned over the past few months:
1) There's so much delicious regional food in Japan, have you ever had sata andagi or spa-katsu before?
2) Akita Prefecture is a stunning region filled with history and folklore, have you seen a namahage before?
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There's lots of Japan related events, shows, and exhibitions happening - Let's see what's going on! |
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Stay up to date on all the information and blooming times for cherry blossom season so you don't miss peak bloom!
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That’s it from us for this month!
Keep up with all this and much, much more by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
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