365 days of blogging life in Japan

If time, hours, day, months and years have something to do with human life, today is one of such important day in my life. May 17 had witnessed important events in the life earlier also. I don’t believe in celebrating my birthdays, but when it comes to notify my friends that it was on May 17 last year I started this blog, I should not hesitate to do so.

Yes, today is the 1st Anniversary of this blog. My life in Japan is one year old today!

Dear Blogger friends, your valuable suggestions and comments are anticipated. Thanks in advance.

Day and night, as written by Hawking, may probably be a relative phenomenon depending on the position of the observer. Though observed from within the mind, it was not so long ago that this blog started appearing in the google searches. The land of rising sun has ignited enough thoughts at the hearth of the mind.

While commute on buses and trains, the observer within was silently witnessing the activities outside. The observer inside was restless to learn new things when talking with Japanese people of different nature, while interacting with them and while reading through the culture of Japan and the society. It was this restless learning of new things in Japan that formed the reason for the birth of this blog.

Blogs does not happen automatically, but happens out of a restless desire to express own feelings and opinions, to share the new knowledge we learn in life, to find out a vent for nasty emotions generated out of the unpleasant experiences from all corners of life.

This blog on my life in Japan was a product of such restless mind and disorder. The disorder, not only in the society, but also within, urges for order on everything comes in contact. This blog did not happen out of sudden spurt of emotions in favor or against anybody, but happened out of a strong desire to tell the world outside thorough what I have been going through in Japan. The world outside including my relatives and friends responded equally well since the birth of this blog.

Today is the 365th day of blogging life in Japan. Google provided a blogging platform where I stand and share with the rest of the world what I have been experiencing in Japan. Thanks to all those who have been visiting this blog. Special thanks to Manisha and Anima for following this blog. I have learned many new things from their blogs.

Have a nice day to all readers!

Signing off ..........

Best Regards
Jayaprakash
May 17, 2009

The end of my solitary life – Start of cherry blossom in my life in Japan!

On April 3rd I got a mail from one of my friends Mr. Wong to join for O-hanami party on 5th April, Sunday. Sakura flowers were blossoming at that time. That was the perfect season to celebrate o-hanami party. That would have been my second cherry blossom season in Japan. Last year I celebrated o-hanami party with my friends at Sakura, Chiba prefecture. The name of the place is also Sakura, similar to the Sakura trees in Japan, but I think both have different Kanji characters. This means both have different meanings. Sakura flowers are Cherry flowers. The place Sakura has the Kanji character for store house.

Hana means flower in Japanese language and mi means ‘Observe’, ‘Watch’, ‘View’, ‘See’ etc. This is the time Japanese people gather under the Sakura trees in public places where Sakura trees are covered with sakura flowers. At evenings they sit together under sakura trees and drink, eat and enjoy. The parks and public gardens would be crowded during these days. Japanese language use ‘O’ in-front of some words to show the respect, politeness, feminineness and at some occasions bad things like ‘Sake’ (alcohol) in the form of o-sake.

O-hanami is the time for enjoyment. Drinks will be served unlimited and Japanese people drink and look above to the sakura flowers. They will praise the beauty of sakura flowers. It was really an interesting experience for me last year. This year when Mr. Wong sent e-mail invitation for o-hanami party, I replied to him the following;

“I will watch Sakura flowers in India! My daughters’ faces are more equally beautiful like Sakura flowers!! Just seriously joking. This Saturday I will leave to India and will be back on next week Friday along with my family. Sorry for my absence.”

On Saturday, 4th April, I went back to India as planned. There were varieties of flowers at my home in India. Many different varieties of hibiscus flowers in the garden in front of our home were also beautiful and were a feast for eyes. My younger brother is fond of hibiscus flowers and he collect varieties of them and takes care along with the love birds in the garden.




On 5th April I reached at home and had great time with my kids and better half. On April 9th I reached back to Tokyo with my wife, two daughters and mother. Now I am not alone in Tokyo any more!

This is the end of my solitude. It may not be necessary for me to think of the solitary reapers while walking over the Arakawa Bridge that connects Komatsugawa Park and the Shin-Ohashi dori on the way to Namaste foods at Higashi Ojima. From now onwards I will be accompanied with my elder Sakura flower!

What better cherry blossom I can observe than the smiles of my daughters! After all, my cherry blossom is not limited to one week when my daughters are with me.

If you are interested to know the history of Sakura blossom (Cherry blossom) celebrations known as O-hanami festival in Japan please visit Manisha's blog - Life with hubby. She has written an excellent post with many eye-catching photos on her blog, that added more beauty to the blog. Please visit and read; Cherry blossom festival