Before I know it,
it's been one year since setting foot in Japan as Australia represent, as a
foreign student. If I'd remained in Australia, I would have been currently
two-thirds of the way to becoming a high school teacher at UNSW, still involved
in CBS and at my church back at ALLC. I probably would have still
learned and grown much, but the things God has taught me this year in a foreign
country, separated from all my friends and Christian brothers and sisters, has
been beyond comparison, and acquiring a new language is only the tip of the
iceberg. I've been able to spend more time with my parents, my dad in
particular, than ever before (in my conscious memory), learn and teach the
gospel in Japanese, make friends with excellent people from all over the world
(34 countries in my program alone), and been challenged in my walk with God
separated from my Christian brothers and sisters who have been such a crucial
element of my growth in my faith. It's been an unforgettable year, and it fills
me with anticipation for just what God has in store from here.
With the beginning
of April comes the beginning of a new year in Japan. The calendar year here
begins on January 1st like anywhere else, but in Japan, April is when the
academic year and the workplace year is regarded to begin. And as a side note,
this year the consumer tax also rose (three per cent, from 5 to 8) beginning
April 1. The lines at the shops on March 31st were unbelievable, everywhere I
went.
Anyway, the reason
why April is the unofficial first month of the year, is because that's when the
cherry blossom trees
bloom. Traditionally, cherry blossoms have been
an iconic symbol
of Japan. The flowers of the cherry blossom tree are famous for blooming
before the leaves appear, and then falling off a mere few days after bloom. The
beautiful but short life of the blossoms have been traditionally associated
with mortality, a concept closely tied with Buddhism and with traditional
Japanese philosophies. More lately though, it's more wrapped up in pop culture,
with pink coloured goods appearing ubiquitously in the spring time under the
pretense of a cherry blossom theme, all the way from rice cakes and red bean
buns, to McDonalds burgers and Starbucks.
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| Photo of a cherry blossom themed burger from Maccas - photo taken from http://wonderfulrife.blogspot.jp/2014/03/mcdonalds-sakura-teritama-burger.html |
My mum and I took a
stroll down our nearby Ebigawa River, known for having the most cherry blossom
trees in the entire Chiba Prefecture (500 trees along the riverbank).
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| Cherry blossom trees blooming, on land and in the water. There were large numbers of large sized koi swimming around too. |
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| Cherry blossom trees in Chiba Prefecture still havent quite reached full bloom, but they were beautiful nevertheless. |
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| Curious noses meeting for the first time! |
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| The local turtles have also come out to greet the new year. |
Happy Japanese New Year!
