Spring or Fall
Which do you like spring or fall ?
In Japan spring is cherry blossoms season. It is very beatiful. If you come over to Japan, you should come in April. And you go to notrh Japan of Tokyo. You will continue to enjoy cherry blossoms. But it is a hey fever season. I'm having a runny nose and very itchy eyes . Also in Japan schools start from April.

The other hand, turn leaves are very beautiful. My uncle took these pictures in Nara. We feel like something. (Do you say melancholy or sad??)
Because leaves fall off the trees. So winter is coming. It is dark just about 5:00PM. When I come back to my house and I pick up him from his preschool, I recognize this year is almost over.
Anyway in Japan you enjoys a lot of foods in fall.

For me, acutually I like summer! Of course I like spring, if I do not have hay fever.

Japanese schools
Japanese schools start in April. SzélsőFa is interested in this way. When I read cazzy’blog, schools start in January in But now Japanese governments try to chan

ge like The USA's.
Australia .
Schools start in September in Meiji period in Japan. But the fiscal year of the country changed in April. Therefore Japanese schools might start in April.
I think entrance ceremonies need cherry blossoms in Japan. It is important of cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms and entrance ceremonies are Japanese culture. If Japanese school system will change like The USA's. I think I feel strange.

By the way, students have spring, summer, and winter vacations. (They have autumn vacationin in some schools. It depends on each schools situation.)
But recently a lot of kids have to study for examinations in vacations. I think it is terrible!!.
If Japanese schools hadn't started in April, entrance ceremonies would have not meant much for the Japanese.

April, 2003
The picture was not sharply focused.

Hanami flower viewing
My uncle said he went to a Hanami last week in Nara.
Unfortunately this week it is raining day in my town. It is difficult to keep cherry blossoms.
Now there are a lot of falling cherry blossoms near my apartment.

In Japan schools begin from April. This year is the end of year for my younger son in his preschool, and my older son is the fifth grade in his elementary school.

Asebi
You might say ‘Pieris’ in English.
Asebi means drunkard horse in Japanese Kanji.
When I was young, my mother said, “if horses eat this tree’s leaves, horses will get drunk. “
Animals don’t try to eat this tree’s leaves.

By the way, now there are a lot of cherry trees bloom in Japan.
But every year I don’t have any time to see them. When I try to see cherry trees bloom, it is too late. 　

We are apt to oversleep in spring!!
I uploaded pictures the day before yesterday night, after that I tried to post something. But my younger son asked me “I wanted to go to bed with mom.”
I thought I just slept with my younger son. But, when I woke up, it was next morning!!.
I feel very nice with sons in the futon, they are very warm and they have nice smell.

By the way these trees are Japanese apricots called Ume in Japanese. It is very warm in Japan this winter.
It is early this year that Japanese apricots bloom.

There are several Japanese trees in Japan. I think blossoms of dark pink is more beatiful than white.

It is the best Japanse aprocot in Ojisan's house in Nara.

This Japanese apricot is in my mother's house in Kawasaki.

Bonsai
Do you know Bonsai? Actually I can’t explain Bonsai. So I check my English Dictionary.
A tree that is grown so that it always stays very small, or the art of growing trees in this way.
"Bonsai" is English like "Karaoke"?? I think Bonsai is miniature trees in pots. And we enjoy to see "Bonsai" which is one of hobbies. (It is not my hobby.)
This tree is Japanese apricot. We say “Ume”. When I take a walk near my apartment, I can find “Ume”.

Provided by oji-san in Nara