The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan’s unofficial national flower. It has been celebrated for many centuries and plays an important role in Japanese culture. There are many dozens of different cherry tree varieties in Japan, most of which bloom for just a couple of days in spring. The Japanese celebrate that time of the year with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the blooming trees… this past weekend I visited Tokushima park to take part… The cherry blossoms were all in full bloom and the weather was great. Tokushima park is probably the most popular spot in the city to do the traditional picnic and every year a couple of Tokushima’s more popular foreigner hang-outs, Ingrid’s Bar and Big Brothers’ (sandwiches) throw a hanami party. Good times!…

Well… Tenzing and Jeanie have come and gone – and speaking on their behalf – I’d like to say they had the time of their lives visiting Japan. Their trip was very exhausting for all of us, as each day was action packed. At their request, I won’t be posting too many pics online or go into too much detail about their visit, but all in all it was pretty memorable. In their week in Japan we visited Osaka (the big city), Tokushima (my city) and Kyoto (the old city). In addition to an endless amount of sightseeing, we took part in many traditional Japanese cultural activities, as well as visited two of my schools – where they were classroom guests. A BIG thanks to the soon to be married couple for coming out to Japan and visiting me, see you guys in July at the wedding!

This past weekend I went to the Sake Festival in Ikeda – a small town in western Tokushima. This festival started at 10:00 am and ended at 3:00 pm. For about 10.00 US dollars, I was given a small sake glass and was allowed to sample an endless variety of different sakes. At any point, a sake taste test could be taken where 6 different sakes are to be matched with 7 possibilities. This test was difficult as I only made one match. After spending 3 hours sipping on sake, I went to two local sake breweries to sample and see how sake is made.

Five crucial elements are involved in brewing sake — water, rice, technical skill, yeast, and land/ weather. More than anything else, sake is a result of a brewing process that uses rice and lots of water. In fact, water comprises as much as 80% of the final product, so fine water and fine rice are natural prerequisites if one hopes to brew great sake.

The first step in making sake is with the rice, where it is washed and steam-cooked. This is then mixed with yeast and koji (rice cultivated with a mold known technically as aspergillus oryzae). The whole mix is then allowed to ferment, with more rice, koji, and water added in three batches over four days. This fermentation, which occurs in a large tank, is called shikomi. The quality of the rice, the degree to which the koji mold has propagated, temperature variations, and other factors are different for each shikomi. This mash is allowed to sit from 18 to 32 days, after which it is pressed, filtered and blended.

Today is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is celebrated a little differently in Japan. On February 14th, only the women give presents – mainly chocolate – to men. Men are supposed to return the favor received on a second Valentine’s Day one month later (March 14th) called White Day, a Japanese creation.

Valentine’s Day was imported to Japan in 1958 by a Japanese confectionery company and these guys must of have been geniuses. I say guys, because they must have been thinking on behalf of all men when they dreamed this baby up. To force a woman to play her card in February, providing one full month for men to match or exceed the kindness is brilliant!  Another reason, why Japan is a man’s society.

Today is Setsubun, a Japanese festival held on February 3rd or 4th, but always one day before the start of spring according to the Japanese lunar calendar. For many centuries, the people of Japan have been performing rituals with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits at the start of spring. The most commonly performed setsubun ritual is the throwing of roasted beans ‘out’ and ‘into’ one’s house. When throwing the beans, you shout, "Oni wa soto! ("Out with the bad/demons!") Fuku wa uchi!" ("In with the good!"). Afterwards it’s common to pick up and eat the number of beans, which corresponds to your age.