May is ending here in Japan, and my first spring outside of the States was quite colorful and festive. I had my first experience of the Japanese tradition of the Ohanami, or flower-viewing get-togethers held in parks, river banks, and anywhere the Sakura(Cherry Blossom) trees were blooming. It was great to be in the company of friends, enjoying the warming weather, and seeing all the other families and parties enjoying their ohanami.
I also took the time to walk and bike around our neighborhood in Kashiba, and enjoyed the local sakuras in bloom.
I can't help but reminisce that a year ago Erin and I started our adventures in Door County with our wedding and a magical summer. Now, here we are in Japan, a year later. I think we've settled into our way of living here, day to day, but Japan is still so new and exciting to experience and share. We recently had a couple of out-of-town visitors, our first, and it was so great to show them around and share the things we've learned and seen since our arrival here last August.
Our first visitor was my buddy Mike, who came from Tokyo to experience Kansai for the first time. He's from back home, Lansing more specifically, but living and studying at Sophia Uni in Tokyo till August. 
It was great fun to show him around, revisit some of the sights I haven't seen since we first got here, feed him some good food, and also create some new adventures.
We went to Osaka Castle, a Ninja Village and castle in neighboring prefecture of Mie(that's correct, a real Ninja village!!!), a little bit of Nara(where, on our way, we randomly met a great family from DC on vacation who happened to be lost and at our local train station of Goido. I played Nara tour guide to them and Mike for the afternoon, and it was a great twist of fate to have their company for a traditional Japanese lunch at a great little Okanomiyaki place our friend Elaine introduced us to), and a bit of Kyoto before he had to get back to Tokyo.
I forgot, I also had the great opportunity to meet up with kuya Rich, my cousin Corrie's husband(who we stayed with on New Years Eve in Tokyo), while he was visiting Kyoto for a day and a half with a friend. It was great to see him again, and another great chance to visit Kyoto.
And just recently, our friend Shotaro came to Kansai for yasumi(holiday) and I got to show him around and eat some really good food in Nara and Osaka. We actually met Shotaro through Rich and Corrie, he's a family friend who's from the Tokyo region as well. Haven't seen him since our first meeting around New Years Eve, so it was great to reconnect after so many months. Unfortunately, Erin was in Kobe for a JET conference, so she could not partake in the the Kansai sightseeing.
Also, this past month, there was Golden Week, which is a block of holidays at the end of April and beginning of May when many people utilize this precious time off for travel around Japan or abroad, or just relax and not have to worry about work. For us, we had the great fortune of spending a few days of Golden Week with our friends Chetan and Doug from South Africa, in the mountains of Mitsue Village, where Chetan lives. They are both JETs like Erin, and we had great fun. We actually met them up at the Ninja Village I mentioned earlier, but it was packed and late, so we just created our own ninja adventures and enjoyed the atmosphere. On this particular day there was a "Ninja Fiesta" as Erin translated from the banners, and a majority of the people, families, and patrons wore their ninja costumes. So, it was interesting to observe whole families, little toddlers, couples wearing the ancient garb of the ninja... not so sleathy when you're sportin' a pink ninja gi with a fanny pack strapped to your waist, but it's all in good fun.
This month we also met our friend Elaine's visitor, her good friend Nalini, who was coming from Dublin, Ireland to visit Elaine. We all bid her farewell at this great Okanomiyaki place in Nara(the one I later took the DC family and Mike to for lunch) that Elaine suggested. Great food and great company including Elaine, Nalini, Sarah, Jack, Erin and myself.So that was our first Japanese Spring. I also kept quite busy playing gigs the past several months, but I'll put up another post for that news. The Sakura is definitely beautiful, and I can understand why it's been the subject of many a poem, song, and painting throughout Japanese history. The trees only bloom for a brief few weeks in the Spring, all over Japan, so it is a very special event and cause for celebration each year. I am thankful that we could experience this Japanese tradition with our new friends here.
