Beautiful Flowers in Japan's Springtime

Once again, I haven't really been in the mood for some heavy writing. Some of my dear friends have been going through some rough times. Me too... This article is dedicated to my friends, Red, Sue and Cindy.

Chin up and all that. Your spirit is an inspiration to us all.

人生は難しいので、私たちがお互いにやさしくをしましょう。

Recently, I've been going out on an hour and a half walks. I did again yesterday and took photos along the way. It's Hanami season and as the Byrds song says (with lyrics from a book that is a 1000 years old): 

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn) 

There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn) 

And a time to every purpose, under Heaven  

A time to be born, a time to die 

A time to plant, a time to reap 

A time to kill, a time to heal 

A time to laugh, a time to weep

A rose I grew in my garden. No matter how cold the winter was, this rose slowly grew all winter. Amazing!

Byrds - "Turn Turn Turn" 

(Please click on the video for music while you see the rest of the photos and read the comments).

Some of the star attractions of the season: Cherry blossoms

Nearby my home, they are constructing and new park. Of course, since this is a big park in Japan, they simply must transplant cherry trees. I found how they wrapped the tree trunks in canvas to be very interesting.

These are in the middle of blooming yesterday morning. By now, they are fully opened. Within four or five days, they will be gone. Life is short, let us enjoy it. 

"Life is difficult. So let us be good to each other" - C.S. Lewis

These must have bloomed the day before

There are literally a thousand of these trees near my home. In fact the next town over is called, "New Cherry Blossom City"! Great for flower lovers; hell for hay fever sufferers!

More trees being transplanted along side the road

I also find the color of the plum blossoms to be wonderful. These flowers herald the coming arrival of the cherries a few weeks ahead of time

Besides the cherry and plum blossoms, the wide array of other flowers get into the act. I'm sorry that I don't know the names of these various flowers. May I make a a sorry excuse? Do they not say, "A rose is still a rose by any other name"? Here are some beautiful blue flowers 

A bush splashes out tiny white flowers alongside Tamagawa river

These are also blooming everywhere. For some reason, this reminds me of something Andy Warhol would have painted

This is the style of flower that all little children draw, isn't it?

There are countless numbers of these white flowers on these bushes. The flowers are all about the size of one penny

These were on the sidewalk inside a planter in Roppongi

A proud father and his son. The boys of summer truly signify the coming of the changes of the season in Japan! I remember playing baseball with my dad when I was a boy! Father! Son! Remember and enjoy these days well! For these are the days that dreams are made of!

---------------------------------

And don't forget about our Hanami party on April 6th and 7th at Tamagawa!

2013年花見！Hanami Party!  今年もこの季節がやってきました！花見〜〜〜〜今回は4月6日、7日の２日間でやります。日曜日に来れなかった人も今年は大丈夫だよ！皆さんに声をかけて参加して下さい。会場は毎年花見をやっている尾山台の多摩川河川敷です。飲まない人は駐車場も増えたので車でもだいじょうぶです。シェアーして下さい。

More info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/153224684837610/

Thanks to Everyone for a Wonderful Hanami 2012

Thanks to all my wonderful friends who helped make our Hanami party 2012 such a wonderful day!

Photo by Osamu Arai

I hope the rest of 2012 sees you and yours healthy and prosperous. May all your dreams come true!

Spring in Japan: Three Days Cold, Four Days Warm - The Start of Allergy Hell and Hanami! Woo Hoo!

Today is Tuesday, March 13, 2012. It is very warm and sunny today, but there is a chilly wind blowing. This is raising hell on people who have allergies. But it is also the notice that Hanami is almost here! Woo! Hoo! Mad drinking outdoors with your friends and all sorts of hijinks!
(花見やりましょう！詳しくは下！）

This isn't exactly the type of hijinks I was thinking about! Guys! Guys! 

No! You're doing it wrong! There's supposed to be girls in there too!

The Japanese have a traditional old saying that starts somewhere about this time of year. They say, "三寒四温" (sankan shion) which translates into "three days cold, four days warm." It is the beginning of spring in Japan.

My wife would start sniffling just by looking at this photo!

Before "three days cold, four days warm," though, it is usually something like four days colder than heck in Tokyo then, all of a sudden, one day warm like spring. It's weird! Yesterday was like that for half a day. In the morning it was very warm and seemed like April weather. Then, suddenly about noon, it become cloudy and very cold again. Back to winter.


This weather marks the beginning of an annual ritual at the Rogers house: My wife bitching constantly about her allergies! Oh my god! Do something about this!


I gotta tell you I love my wife but this goes on every year and it drives me crazy! Oh you so stoooopid woooo-maaan! You are a Japanese! This is Japan! You are supposed to enjoy the blossoming of the plum and cherry trees! You are supposed to be running around half naked in a kimono all the time wanting to drink sake under the cherry trees and have constant sex! (Of course after cooking, cleaning, taking the kids to school, giving me a bath and then a full body massage with your feet!) I want you in that kimono serving me sake under a cherry tree RIGHT NOW!!!!

My image of what married life was going to be like before marriage...

But no. It is not to be. My wife refuses to go outside this time of year. In fact, I am going to have to put up with her complaining and sniffling like this for the next two months! Two months! Can you believe it!


Oh, but I do feel sorry for her as I have no allergies at all. How about you, dear reader? Do you have any allergies?


My wife gets so bad for about 10 days to 2 weeks somewhere around April that she basically stays in bed for the entire time... That was great when she was my girlfriend! I mean, what guy doesn't want his girlfriend in bed all the time?

The perfect girlfriend would be in bed (or in the kitchen) all the time anyway...

Women today won't admit it but they were happiest when all they did was 

pump out babies and cook shit for us guys to eat.

But after 15 years of marriage? Oh, well... I guess before marriage I should have checked under the hood better before I bought the car.


That's the annual ritual we go through at the Rogers house every year, this time of year. But that's the down side. The up side is that, since she refuses to go under the cherry blossoms, that means I can go by myself and get roaringly drunk and make a total ass of myself at Hanami with having her nagging me all time about my drinking too much! Woo hoo! Hanami here I come!


I love Japanese ritual traditions and celebrations and parties and festivals!

In one of Japan's most upstanding and respectable festivals, the 

penis festival begins pretty soon too! You just gotta love Japan! 

(Wait a minute! Is that lady second from front - the blond one - 

actually a guy with a wig on? I do not want her carrying my penis!)

And speaking of annual rituals, in a few weeks, on April 1, 2012, I will host a massive Hanami party in Tamagawa. It is free for everyone. If you are around, please come along. The party starts at 5:30 am and runs all day into the night. DO NOT DRIVE THERE IF YOU ARE GOING TO DRINK! (If you aren't going to drink, why go?)


The place is just from Tamagawa station on the Toyoko Line or Futakotamagawa station on the Denentoshi line. Please take a bus about an 8 minute bus ride! There will be a few hundred of my friends there. It's completely free. Please bring your own booze and some snacks... I will bring some free food too but it is usually all gone with the early birds who get there before 7 am and start the festivities REALLY early!


URL: http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/oozappa/GMG/hanami-map1.jpg  


Here is a map:

Hey! I want to have a　【花見たかったけど寒いので４月にしようよ！」Party. 多摩川尾山台近辺４月１日（日）もちろん、ただ！Free! Family fun party! （これはInterFMの番組や局とはかんけいありません）！皆どうですか？このメッセージを読んだら、知り合いに連絡してください！僕はみんなの連絡先が分からないので。。みんなPartyしよう！　

日時；4月1日　日曜　朝7時から午後の4時ごろまで 

場所:東京都世田谷区玉堤1丁目-23付近（多摩川土手） 

○多摩川土手の桜の木の下です! 

■目標は　Volkswagen世田谷認定中古車センターの看板です。 

■看板の玉堤通りをはさんだ土手側です。 

地図 

http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/oozappa/GMG/hanami-map1.jpg 

最寄駅 

東京急行電鉄・東横線・目黒線・東急多摩川線　[多摩川駅] 

東京急行電鉄・田園都市線・大井町線　[二子玉川駅] 

最寄バス停留所 

東急東横線・目黒線・多摩川線　多摩川駅　または 

田園都市線　二子玉川駅より東急バスでそれぞれ８分 

[ 玉11 ] 二子玉川駅←→多摩川駅 

東急ゴルフパークたまがわ前停留所 

東急大井町線等々力駅からでているバスも利用できます 

「武蔵工業大前」で下車になります 

会費:飲み物食べ物を自分が食べて飲む分持参です 

各自、ゴミを持ち帰れる程度でお願いします。←重要です 

皆さんによかったら御用意していただきたいもの 

○レジャーシート。（シートを止めるザイル等あると助かります） 

○紙コップや紙のお皿やお箸・フォーク・スプーン 

○テッシュやタオル（汚れちゃっても最悪捨てちゃってもいいもの） 

○ゴミ袋（大きいのとスーパーのレジ袋みたいなもの） 

○レジャー用の折りたたみテーブル等 

周辺施設情報 

近所にセブンイレブンともう一件コンビニがあります。 

当日、足りなくなったものはここで調達できそうです 

コインパーキングが30台分ぐらい（台数は定かではないです。）があります。 

◎注意!!!飲酒される方は絶対に自動車の運転をしないでください!!!◎ 

◎できるだけ電車・バスをご利用ください◎ 

最寄駅 

東京急行電鉄・東横線・目黒線・東急多摩川線　[多摩川駅] 

東京急行電鉄・田園都市線・大井町線　[二子玉川駅] 

最寄バス停留所 

東急東横線・目黒線・多摩川線　多摩川駅　または 

田園都市線　二子玉川駅より東急バスでそれぞれ８分 

[ 玉11 ] 二子玉川駅←→多摩川駅 

東急ゴルフパークたまがわ前停留所 

東急大井町線等々力駅からでているバスも利用できます 

「武蔵工業大前」で下車になります 

会費:飲み物食べ物を自分が食べて飲む分持参です 

各自、ゴミを持ち帰れる程度でお願いします。←重要です 

皆さんによかったら御用意していただきたいもの 

○レジャーシート。（シートを止めるザイル等あると助かります） 

○紙コップや紙のお皿やお箸・フォーク・スプーン 

○テッシュやタオル（汚れちゃっても最悪捨てちゃってもいいもの） 

○ゴミ袋（大きいのとスーパーのレジ袋みたいなもの） 

○レジャー用の折りたたみテーブル等 

周辺施設情報 

近所にセブンイレブンともう一件コンビニがあります。 

当日、足りなくなったものはここで調達できそうです 

コインパーキングが30台分ぐらい（台数は定かではないです。）があります。 

◎注意!!!飲酒される方は絶対に自動車の運転をしないでください!!!◎ 

◎できるだけ電車・バスをご利用ください◎