5 Things To Try For A Better Hanami Experience

This is what Hanami is all about (Photo credit)

When spring is around the corner, Japanese people have this custom of enjoying/viewing the flowers or what they call Hanami (花見 or "flower viewing"). In most cases, Hanami refers to viewing cherry blossoms ("sakura") which usually bloom at the end of March until late April. Families, couples or friends having picnics under sakura trees then become a normal sight. I also like watching cherry blossoms, especially under the bright sun. Biking to school along sakura covered pavements is my morning candy. Oh perfection and happiness!!This year is my first taste of spring ergo my first Hanami experience. We had hanami for our laboratory, hanami with friends and another hanami for my Filipino community and all of them were so delightful. And along all these firsts,  I noted down 5 things that makes/can make Hanami an even more enjoyable treat. Here goes.


1.Eating and Sharing Good Food (and good drinks??? ^_^)
Whether it is home-cooked, fast food, straight from the supermarket or from the food stalls/booths, good food can lighten up everyone's mood. Conversations over good food are always as hearty as the meal itself, and even "heartier" over a bottle of beer or better yet Japanese sake.

Food stalls around the park (yum yum)

Yummy Hanami barbecue (Photo credit)

Enjoying sake under the falling blossoms  (Photo credit)

and other drinks too!

2. Sakura Pictorials and all those photo shoots   
Who does not love pictures, either taking them or being in them????(I prefer the second actually). Enjoying hanami comes with taking hundreds of pictures or just a few beautiful ones, spiced up with a little bit of creativity and excitement.

Jumpshots will always be best for all seasons (Photo by Rafael Cabredo)

Mothers taking pictures of their babies side by side (kawaii!!) (Photo by Rafael Cabredo)

3. Playing games or sports
I saw many people playing games or sports too. I saw father and son playing badminton, and kids playing catch or soccer. Hearing a lot of laughter all around you is just so wonderful - as beautiful as sakura flowers themselves.

Cute kids playing badminton (Photo credit)

4. Wait for the Illumination The beauty of sakura extends until evening as they are accented with lights during illumination. 

Toshimaen, Tokyo Sakura Illumination  (Photo credit)

But ultimately, simply..
5.  Share it with friends and loved onesAny moment spent with loved ones will always be a sweet memory...(and suddenly I am missing...^_^)

"Two things fell for you that day, the cherry blossoms and my heart" (made this "cheesy-ness" up, sorry)

I love you Sakura tree! (Photo and model from Rafael Cabredo)
P.S. I am selling Danboards (the cute little entity hugging the tree)..Just send me a message anytime.

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How a Japanese Saved My iPhone from Destruction

I just cannot let this day pass without dedicating a blogpost for today's blessing so here goes...

While the rest of the world and most of my guy friends are having a blast destroying monsters and devouring each other in the recently released Diablo III, my iphone also had a little adventure of its own. What I thought was an ordinary dinner time with labmates turned out to be a fatal moment for us both - a possible irreversible separation was bound to occur (I just love exaggeration). As a backgrounder, I often eat dinner in the school cafeteria or shokudo as we call it. After one dines, we have a customary procedure to bring our trays onto a conveyor which then carries them directly into the wash area..and when I say directly, the trays are led into water sprays and water baths and all those other gadget-threatening experiences. And being the absent-minded person that I always am (leaving and losing things ever so constantly), I put my tray on the conveyor after putting the spoon and the glass into their respective containers, not noticing that I mistook my iphone for a plate.

Typical shokudo food and the distinct blue tray which carried my iPhone to its possible "end"

The tray conveyor looked something like this, bringing the food trays towards the washing area (Photo credit)
I dont have the picture of the real one.

shokudo/cafeteria (Photo credit)

I went back to the lab and went on with my merry ways only to realize 20 minutes later that my iphone is gone. I silently panicked and then retraced my steps until it led me to the dreaded cafeteria wash area. I never walked so fast going to shokudo until this day and it was an agonizing experience thinking about my wet, unusable phone and figuring out how to ask the staff about it in Japanese (hahahahah) But as they say, Japanese people are an honest lot and today I can really testify to that. I went inside the wash area and I just said one word, "ketai?" and allowed the rest of my sentence to drown in itself as if saying "chotto...". The Japanese staff then said, "purple?" referring to the color of my phone and I just want to hug him right there (did I actually type/say that? Anyway no erasures). "Arigatou gozaimasu!" was all I managed to say over and over again. I got my phone from the cashier, signed the Lost and Found booklet and was then happily reunited with this "purple entity". What I realized is that I should pay more attention really, so it does not happen again (btw I also lost my school ID and almost lost my wallet when I dropped it at the bus stop). Nevertheless I am happy to meet such honest people. I just can't imagine leaving my phone somewhere else.

To the Japanese cafeteria staff, honto ni arigatou gozaimasu! ^_^

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Rainy Day Umbrella Etiquette That You Must Know

When it rains here in Japan, blogging ideas pour because there are so many rainy day customs here that may seem normal to a Nihonjin (Japanese) but entirely new to a Gaijin (foreigner) like me. Take for instance this rainy day addition that will greet you as you enter supermarkets, malls or most establishments in general.

Before you enter a store, it is a must that you have to bag your dripping umbrellas in specially-made plastic bags  to avoid wetting the floor and causing harm to other customers The phrase "Slippery when wet" might ring a bell. And these plastic bags, take note, are made especially for umbrellas and will most likely fit umbrellas of all sizes. I guess you can say that Japanese people have everything for anything (or maybe almost). 

Rainy  Day Umbrella Etiquette as demonstrated by my ever willing friend (Thanks yet again Joaqs)

Buying with an additional umbrella baggage

After your umbrella has been bagged and deemed safe for other people's shopping experience, you can then bring your bagged umbrella wherever you go, as you continue on your own shopping routines. Once done, you can remove the plastic bag and just throw it in appropriate trash bins (sometimes located in the same spot where you got the plastic bag in the first place). I just have a question though, If it is always like this when it rains and they do not reuse the plastic bags, where do all the plastic bags go?

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How to Bag Groceries in Japan (Meet the "Packers")

Typical Supermarket Counter is Manned by One Cashier (Photo credit)

I am used to having at least 2 regular figures behind the grocery counter- a CASHIER who takes your items one by one and inputs the prices/quantities of the goods you bought, and a BAGGER who then takes your goods and stuffs them into a box, plastic bag  or paper bag (whichever is applicable). And after your groceries have been "processed" the bagger hands you your items, and you are good to go.

Not in Japan though. Here, you have to BAG IT FIRST BEFORE YOU GO.  That is how it works.

So in a typical Japanese Supermarket, only one personnel cheerfully greets you at the counter. You place your basket on top of the counter and she/he will scan those items one by one and transfer them into another basket. This is actually quite different in my country. We have to take out the items from the basket/pushcart by ourselves and put them on the counter. I remember a friend who got it all mixed up when she went home, and the cashier got a little annoyed because she suddenly put her basket on the counter. @_@

My friend paying in the counter (Thanks Kuya Ronald!)

Anyway, the Japanese will then ask you if you want to have plastic bags  (in Japaneses of course, which I could not quite catch most of the time). I just answer "Hai" (Yes) or "Onegaishimasu" (Please). And after paying for what you bought, the responsibility of packing the goods is all yours.

everything you will ever need is on the bagging table

On a detached table after the cashier, you will find all the space and all the items you would possibly need for packing your groceries. Stuff like plastic bags, scissors, rope, and cutters are yours for the taking. Sometimes the cashier would bag one or two items for you, but for bulk purchases you have to bag them yourself. Once done, you are expected to return the basket and the pushcarts in their proper places. Nobody is actually exempted from this according to my observation, young and old people alike are responsible for themselves.

Meet the "Packers"

bagging groceries Japanese style

my friend posing for demonstration purposes (thanks Joaqs!)

Now is this a good or bad thing? Personally I find it okay. It adds a little physical activity to your otherwise sedentary routine. Also it teaches us to be responsible for whatever we choose to buy. We can control which items go together in one bag. We can divide the items according to how we will carry them/how we will arrange them bike baskets. But on a higher note, I find it a simple gesture to practice independence. We have to start doing what we can do by ourselves and not to depend so much on other people for simple things that we can actually do on our own.

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Japanese Rainy Day Acrobatics

grace under pressure (girls riding bikes with umbrellas on one hand during
a typical Japanese rainy day)

This is something I have been wanting to write about because I am excited to share my fascination with you. And because the weather today is very timely, there is no perfect moment to blog about this but now.

Man's reaction to rainy days varies. I personally like it when it rains because it feels colder and the sky has this downcast colors which lulls me to introspection. When clouds shed tears, I am easily invited to do the same both because of sadness and happiness about things that were, are and will be. But rainy days here in Japan sometimes distract me from solitude because sights of local folks doing some sort of circus act paints a smile of amazement on my face.

My country is not a biking community, rather we rely either on walking or riding public jeepneys to get to us to where we want. Normally, rainy days in my country would be something like this. People just walk with their umbrella's or ride jeepneys with "trapal", a plastic sheet to cover the open windows. People would never dare to ride the bike or if they do, they usually wear raincoats. But not in Japan...

A typical rainy day in my country

This is how a Japanese commutes to work/school when it rains. Fearlessly and with great skill, he maneuvers himself on the slippery streets in a balancing act-holding an umbrella in one hand and the bicycle handle on the other. And let me just add that biking routes here are seldom flat. Going to school from my apartment entails traversing  3 hills (not an exaggeration I promise). The Japanese people are among the best bikers I have met in my life and their exposure to biking traces back  to childhood.

A typical Japanese act when it rains

Of course bicycle shops here in Japan have cool products too, especially for the rainy days. If you have a very faint heart but is eager to avoid the downpour, you can try out this umbrella holder for a price.

an umbrella holder might save your rainy day life (Photo credit)

I have tried biking with an umbrella once or twice and I can manage to do so if the road is flat. But once I feel a slight wiggle, I tense up and then hold the bike handle altogether. From trying and trying this simple thing, I have realized something. You just have to pedal continuously and without fear because it keeps you going and stops the bike from falling. Holding the umbrella is not the most difficult thing to do, it is trusting that even if you hold just one handle you are going to be safe. The same goes in many of life's challenges, I guess.

stunts that know no age

And once a biker, always a biker because this challenging act can be done by people of all ages. Mastery comes with constant practice and once learned and continuously applied, it will never be forgotten.

One last look with the rain so you can see what I mean (Photo credit)

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7 Tulips I Am Tempted To Pick

Bed of Tulips

Spring is Tulip Time!!!! Tulip! Tulip! Tulip! Jump and Split! (^_^) Sorry for getting all hyped up.

I think it is not very difficult to recognize a tulip, with their large cup-shaped flowers and tall stem. As a backgrounder, Tulips are some of the most popular spring flowers of all time, and the third most popular flowers worldwide next only to the Rose and Chrysanthemum (my source here).

To be a bit geeky,

Kingdom:Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Lilliopsida

Order: Liliales

Family:Liliaceae

Genus:Tulipa

Seeing a lot of beautiful tulips here in Japan made me appreciate their colors and every time I see one, I am so tempted to pick a flower and bring it home. Luckily I do not succumb to these temptations. But as I share some pictures with you (shared through my Indonesian friend Sari), I am sure you will hear those evil voices too. 

Enjoy!

1. Yellow Tulips

Yellow tulips used to represent hopeless love but are now associated with cheerfulness and sunshine.

Yellow Tulips

2.  White Tulips

White tulips are used to claim worthiness or to send a message of forgiveness. (Very controversial, I guess)

White Tulips

3. Red Tulips

Do I need to say it? I am sure you know the meaning of red tulips very well. But aside from declaring true love, for those who practice feng shui, red tulips help bring fame into one's life. (Hmmmm...now I am really considering....)

Red Tulips from my Japanese friend's garden

4. Pink Tulips

Less romantic than red tulips, pink tulips symbolize care and encouragement to someone. 

Pink Tulips (from aidken of Flickr)

5. Orange Tulips

Orange tulips symbolize fascination, warmth and happiness.

Orange Tulips (Photo credit)

6. Mixed Tulips

Anything goes with this crazily beautiful tulips. Splash of colors here, and bit of blending and sunshine there makes these tulips perfect eye candies. Don't you just want to eat them?

Pink and White

Red and White

Red and Orange (Photo from robertodevido or Flickr)

7. Purple Tulips

Last but definitely not the least. Rather, they are the hardest ones to resist!!!! These tulips bear one of my favorite colors in life. The color purple is often referred as a symbol of royalty, power, luxury and serenity.

A purple tulip garden ("Hope Patch") is also a reminder that the future can be better and that tomorrow brings another day.

(Pick me, pick me not, pick me, pick me not, stop me please!)

Purple Tulips To Dye For (At least for me)

Most of the shots are taken from Banpaku kinen koen (The Expo Commemoration Park) in Northern Osaka. It is a 15-20 minute bike-ride from my apartment and as Handai students we can enter for free. 

By the way, I got the meanings here:

 What Do Tulip Colors Mean? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6736795_do-tulip-colors-mean_.html#ixzz1sltZTaeS

And lastly, while writing this blog I found this. So cute, desu ne?

Helly Kitty Tulips

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10 Beautiful Sakura Pictures Your Eyes Could Feast Upon

Oh Spring! My blogposts this month are dedicated to you. Here are some of the most beautiful Sakura (cherry blossom) shots I have pooled from the net, from my collection and that of my friends. Take a break from your busy day and as the saying goes..take time to smell (and revel at the sight) of flowers

P.S. To my loved ones, how I wish you could share these sights with me...^_^

Sakura 1 (Courtesy of my labmate from Thailand, Yo)

Sakura 2 Just outside my house

Sakura 3 Somewhere in Osaka University

Sakura 4 The famous Sakura Tree Near My Laboratory (courtesy of my friend Karlou)

Sakura 5 White Blossoms from Heaven (Courtesy of Yo)

Sakura 6 More of those heavenly things (From mellow_stuff of Flickr)

Sakura 7 Where biking is a pleasure (Courtesy of my friend Ate Susan)

Sakura 8 I love you Pink (Photo credit)

Sakura 9 Pink is Love (from Focx Photography in Flickr)

Sakura 10 Have a date with me here in Kyoto (Photo Credit)

When I look at these photos, I learn to love life more and to appreciate how beautiful the world is despite all odds. And silently I whisper, "your creation is good my Maker".

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