Hanami Festival

When the cherry trees blossom, it's a sure sign that spring has come, and when it's spring, there's always the Hanami or Cherry Blossom Viewing Festival.

People come in droves to where the cherry trees are and have a picnic with family and friends underneath the cherry blossoms. It is such a special time in Japan because the cherry trees bloom only once a year, and the flowers last for only a week or two.

That's why we took Theo out today to the nearby Yanaka Cemetery where an entire street is lined with cherry trees. For one, we won't be here anymore by next year's Hanami Festival.


On the way to the Yanaka Cemetery. The shopping street is visible at a distance.


Huge, decades-old cherry trees here and in the photos below. Their size is just as awesome as their beauty.

Theo's New Uniform

Time really flies! Next month, our little Theo will begin kindergarten at the municipal school just a few blocks away from home. We are not yet certain how he'll take the change in routine but we are now starting to implement a strict bedtime and we also wake him up early so as to get him used to the change in pace. We really hope that he enjoys school because he'll be spending the first few decades of his life studying many things.


Banzai!


We went to Tokyo Dome yesterday where there was a flea market that Mommy D wanted to check out. She took this photo of Theo sitting beside the pond of Tokyo Dome Hotel.

Spring is coming!

We know that spring is here by counting the number of people wearing masks, surgical masks, that is. It's because cedar pollen has started to fill the air, causing much discomfort and hay fever to the susceptible, and that includes Mommy D and me -- but mine is worse.

For the past few days, our noses have been runny and our eyes itchy, and the discomfort is sometimes just unbearable. We haven't finished this many boxes of tissue for a long time. We just console ourselves with the fact that we're counting our days here in Japan. When we return home to the Philippines, there won't be any of these spring allergies, for the simple reason that there isn't any spring there -- just the wet and dry seasons.

I started to have this allergy about 2 or 3 years ago when I was still a researcher at the University of Tsukuba, and that was after more than 6 or 7 years here in Japan. By the time we return home early next year, I would have completed 10 years in this country, and that's quite a long time, isn't it? Ironically, I've been to more places here than in my own country.

Theo isn't at all bothered by the cedar pollen. He had a runny nose once, but that was just for a few hours, and it wasn't all that bad either. He'll surely leave this country without having to go through it ever in his life, assuming that he won't leave the Philippines when he's old enough and go to a temperate country.

In the photos below, you can see him no longer wearing his thick winter jacket. That's because, finally, it has started to become warm. Next month, the sakuras will bloom again, signifying the endless cycle of life.