[English／日本語]
The day before yesterday, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that cherry blossoms had bloomed in Tokyo. In Japan, the weather forecast at this time of the year tells not only the temperature and weather, but also the cherry blossoms. Hanami, a traditional Japanese event, began 1,300 years ago and is popular among foreign tourists. In this issue, we will introduce the etiquette of Hanami.

(1) The star of the show is the cherry blossoms
Cherry blossom viewing means eating and drinking under the cherry trees. Cherry trees are very delicate plants. When eating, do not place a sheet at the base of the cherry tree. The base of the cherry tree is where it breathes. Please place the sheet away from it. Also, do not break the branches of cherry trees just because of their beautiful blossoms. Cherry blossoms are a plant that easily decomposes. You may also have to pay a fine for "damage to property" if you break a cherry blossom branch. Please be careful.

(2) Rules of the park
During the holidays at this time of year, the number of people viewing cherry blossoms in the park increases greatly. Some of them are also lit up at night, making them popular date spots. Each park has different rules, so be sure to check the park's rules before going hanami. For example, some parks prohibit the bringing of alcoholic beverages, while others do not allow the use of fire. Also, be sure to take your trash home with you and clean up properly before you finish your hanami. Even though it is spring, the nights can get very cold, so be sure to take warm clothing.

(3)Cherry blossom motif goods
Cherry blossom viewing is not limited to parks. During this season, you can see many cherry blossom-inspired decorations in the city and in stores. At cafes, you can enjoy cherry blossom latte art and pink-colored cakes. At general stores, you can find products with pictures of cherry blossoms. Since they are only available during this season, they are popular as souvenirs. Please look for them!

Hachioji, where our school is located, has many famous cherry blossom viewing spots. Some parks are lit up at night, so be sure to visit them!

東京は一昨日、桜が開花したと気象庁が発表しました。日本ではこの時期の天気予報は気温や天気だけではなく、桜の様子を伝えます。日本の伝統的なイベントである「お花見」は1300年前から始まり、外国人観光客からも人気があります。今回はお花見のマナーを紹介します。

①主役は桜
お花見と言えば、桜の木の下で食事をしたりお酒を飲んだりすることをさします。桜はとてもデリケートな植物です。食事をするときは桜の根本にシートを置かないようにしましょう。桜の根元は呼吸をする場所です。離れたところにシートを敷いてください。また、桜の花が美しいからと言って枝を折ってはいけません。桜は腐りやすい植物です。また、桜の枝を折ると「器物破損罪」として罰金を払わなければならないこともあります。気を付けましょう。

②公園のルール
この時期の休日は公園でお花見している人がとても増えます。また、夜になるとライトアップをしているところもあり、デートスポットとしても人気があります。公園によってルールが違うので、お花見をする前には必ず公園のルールを調べてからにしましょう。例えば、お酒の持ち込みを禁止しているところや火を使ってはいけないところもあります。また、ゴミはきちんと持ち帰えり、きちんとそうじをしてからお花見を終えましょう。春と言っても夜はとても冷えるので、防寒対策も忘れずに。

③桜モチーフのグッズ
お花見は公園だけではありません。この季節は街の中やお店の中にも桜をイメージした飾りを多くみることができます。カフェでは桜のラテアートやピンク色をしたケーキなどを食べることができます。雑貨屋では、桜の絵が描いた商品がお店に並びます。この季節限定なので、お土産としても人気があります。ぜひ、探してみてくださいね。

本校がある八王子は桜の名所が多くあります。夜、ライトアップしている公園もあるのでぜひ訪れてみてくださいね！

日本百名城・佐倉城
佐倉城址公園の桜

宝石展

嬬恋村の冬の星空。
そこにはとても大きなダイヤモンドと、煌びやかな星々が一面に散りばめられていました。

神奈川県秦野市のヤビツ峠に咲くミツマタ。

秩父盆地では、夜に地表付近の空気が冷えて霧が発生することが多く、市街地を覆うように雲海が発生します。「都心から一番近い雲海」として注目を集めています。

茨城にある酒列磯前神社にドライブ
お金持ちになれるらしい

川苔山/東京

真夏の小笠原諸島、南島にて。鮮やかな緑と青のコントラストはまさに楽園そのもの。地球の果てに来たような気分。

焼肉
Yakiniku

焼肉 牛宮城＠東京都渋谷区宇田川町
YAKINIKU GYUGUJOU＠Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

焼肉 牛宮城
東京都渋谷区宇田川町12-9 ジュール渋谷 5F
YAKINIKU GYUGUJOU
Joule Shibuya 5F, 12-9 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

奥多摩でたまたま見かけた、
寝そべった女性のような氷柱です。

茨城県ひたちなか市
大洗磯前神社 神磯の鳥居
良い鱗組が演出してくれた冬の朝

成田山新勝寺で撮影しました。

Beautifully decorated Yokohama China town during chinese new year using red lantern, chinese hoardings and lantern dragons.

成田山新勝寺にて撮影しました。?初詣のときに敷地内にある五重の塔の造形美に惹かれて撮影。1500年の歴史を垣間見ることができました。

The shrine and its nearby area at China town, Yokohama were well decorated with lights and lanterns before the Chinese new year. It looks very beautiful and charming.

Just some more photos to wrap up our trip to Nikko.

I took a bunch of photos of different monuments and buildings that seemed important or had lavish decorations.
I can't make out what the writing on the monument says but I can at least make out the kanji for heart (心).

I also liked the golden palanquins inside the the building in the forth photo, although I'm not sure if they were used at some point or are simply for decoration.

The other photos are from Futarasan Chugushi Shrine (二荒山中宮祠神社) located in front of Lake Chuzenji.
Unfortunately we didn't have time to go inside the shrine but I was at least able to take some nice photos of the torii gate.
Apparently it has a kagura hall as well and the entrance to Mt. Nantai is located inside the shrine as well.

And finally, just an assortment of food that I haven't posted yet.
All of it tasted great.
It was definitely a trip I'm never going to forget!

東京都立川グリーンスプリングスで撮影しました。時期が、クリスマスだったので、サンタさんのコスチュームをしているぬいぐるみを手に持って撮影しました。

Some more photos from our trip to Nikko.

There were so many awesome monuments, landmarks, and buildings that it'd be impossible to fit it all into one post.

I was so glad that I had my mobile battery with me because I was taking so many photos that I was just burning through my battery lol.
I really liked how the incense burner looked and I tried looking up how old it was but I wasn't able to find anything about it, only the one in front of Tokugawa Ieyasu's burial site.

I would have liked to use the chozuya as well, but unfortunately it was closed off due to covid.
I also liked seeing the sake barrels as well as they always brighten up shrines.

The "Ippon Toro" lantern was interesting as well.
I'd never heard of Empress Tofukumon'in before either, so it gave me some interesting things to read about Japan's Edo Period.
Apparently she helped rebuild prominent temple in Kyoto and collected art and pottery from famous artisans of the time and even those of the past.

Some buildings I'd have to look at a map to know their names but there was definitely no shortage of decorations.
Unfortunately we weren't able to take photos inside some of the main buildings, but a few of them had ceiling paintings done by famous painters.
Many of them were birds, and I'm not an expert, but I think they were mostly cranes and they were all really beautiful.

Famous Dragon Dance during Chinese New Year Festival at Yokohama's famous China Town. The dragon dance is very cute, funny and interesting. It was a vibrant and colorful festival.

Vibrant and colorful attire, graceful performers ,jolly faces .... Every good things were present during the 38th Samba festival of Asakusa.

Took a trip out to Nikko, Tochigi over the three day weekend and had an incredible time.
The purpose of the trip was to celebrate my girlfriend's sister's college graduation so we wanted to make it as memorable as possible.
I don't have enough room to fit this into one post so I'll post the rest throughout the week.

We started out from Tokyo and had lunch somewhere Nikko Toshogu Shrine.
I'm not sure if Yuba is a local specialty but it seemed like literally every single restaurant in the area was selling it so I'm assuming that was the case.
It was my first time trying it and it was pretty interesting I guess you could say.
It tasted alright with the soy sauce and radish but I think I prefer normal tofu instead. Either way it was a nice experience.

After eating we headed out to Nikko Toshogu Shrine nearby and man was it amazing.
Everything was so lavishly decorated that I couldn't stop taking photos.
The pagoda was incredibly beautiful as well and the snow covering the Nikko area made everything even more beautiful.

I was lucky enough to get a really nice shot of the corridor full of lanterns while no one was walking through the area as well.
I also took a photo of the torii gate at the top of the steps as it had a very strong presence and signaled the end of the long journey up the steps to reach the inner shrine.

Unfortunately the main gate was undergoing repairs so it was completely covered in tarp and surrounded by staging so I wasn't able to get a photo of it, but I did get some really cool shots of the main shrine.

I tried as hard as I could to get some good photos of the grave of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and while I think the photo of the gate isn't bad, I think I'd need a better camera to get a good shot of the crane and his tomb.
That being said it was still really awesome to see.

After checking out the shrine we headed out to Kegon Falls and I managed to get some really nice videos and some decent photos as well.
I can't post the videos or I would.
It was really awesome seeing the icicles surrounding the waterfall and all of the frozen scenery as well.
Even just taking the lift down to the waterfall was an experience.
After we left the waterfall observation deck and went back up the elevator we got some suiton (水団, flour dumplings in soup) and shared it between the three of us as a light snack before dinner later that evening.
We also visited Lake Chuzenji and admired the scenery there for a bit as well.
We didn't spend a ton of time here so this photo was the best I could do.
I like that I was able to get the sign in the shot though so I can't complain.

After enjoying the view of the lake we headed to our hotel and ate dinner and had some wine.
The place we stayed at was called "Lamb Chop" (ペンション・ラムチャップ日光).
The food was great and service provided by the the owners was top notch, so I definitely recommend checking it out if you're looking for a place to stay in the area.

After dinner we headed back to our room and I was so exhausted I fell asleep almost instantly.

And that was the end of day 1! I'll post day two tomorrow since this post is getting quite long now!

Although the samba dance is from Brazil but I saw it 1st time in Tokyo at Asakusa area. It was from 38th Asakusa Samba carnival in 2019. I was really very excited and happy to see it. Unfortunately from 2020 because of corona the event is not happening but I wish this 2022 I could see it again.

河津桜が開花しました

Snow Bear

On the occasion of Chinese new year the Yokohama China town was well decorated during pre corona situation (in 2019). It was my first chance to enjoy Chinese new year in China Town. It was really a great fun. Wish after corona it will be back in full form.

[English／日本語]
Snow is predicted to fall in Tokyo this week. In Japan, there are many tourist destinations where winter sports are popular, such as Hokkaido, but in Tokyo, snowfall is not that common and the city is not prepared to handle it. As a result, even a 5 cm accumulation of snow can cause many problems. In this article, I will tell you how to deal with snow in Tokyo.

1) Transportation
When it snows, train schedules are often disrupted. Trains may be cancelled or the number of trains may be reduced, so you may be late for work. Try to leave your house early on snowy days. Roads can also be crowded, and few people buy snow tires for the rare snowfall in a year. As a result, many people drive with regular tires on snowy days, which can cause slip accidents. Try not to walk near cars on snowy days.

2) The day after it snows
Unlike Hokkaido, the snow that falls in Tokyo has a high moisture content. Therefore, the day after a snowfall, the roads are often icy. Since there are many buildings in Tokyo, there is no sunlight and the snow may not melt even after a week. Some people slip on the icy roads and get seriously injured because of it. On the day after a snowfall, try to walk in the sunshine.

3)What to wear
What you wear the next day is more important than what you wear when it is snowing. The roads are very slippery, so it is best to wear long boots or other non-slip shoes. You should also wear gloves because the ice can cut your hands if you slip and fall on them. A hat is also necessary to protect your head. A backpack or other bag that allows you to keep both hands free is also a good idea. If you don't have boots, there is a life hack to prevent slipping by putting an adhesive bandage on the back of your sneakers. Please give it a try.

Many of the students at our school come from warm countries. Some of them have caught colds from playing in the snow because it was their first time to see snow. Please play in the snow in moderation. This time, we are planning to spread snow-melting agent in front of the dormitory. If your neighbors are having a hard time shoveling snow, let's help them out. It's also a chance to make friends with Japanese people. Also, it's best not to go outside too much on snowy days, so get your shopping done as soon as possible!

今週、東京では雪が降る予報になっています。日本では北海道などウインタースポーツが人気の観光地も多くありますが、東京では雪が降ることはそこまで多くないので、東京の街は雪に対応できるようになっていません。そのため、雪が5㎝積もっただけでも色々な問題が発生します。今回は東京での雪対策についてお伝えします。

①交通
雪が降ると電車のダイヤが乱れることがよくあります。電車が運休してしまったり、本数が減らされてしまうので、会社に遅刻をしてしまう可能性があります。雪の日は早めに家を出るようにしましょう。また、道路も混むことがあります。1年に降るか降らないかの雪のために、雪用のタイヤを買っている人はほとんどいません。そのため、雪の日は普通のタイヤで運転している人も多く、スリップ事故を起こす人もいます。雪の日はなるべく車の近くを歩かないようにしましょう。

②雪が降った次の日
東京に降る雪は北海道などと違って、水分が多いです。そのため、雪の降った翌日は道路が凍っていることが多くあります。東京は建物が多いので、日の光があたらず、1週間たっても雪が解けない場合があります。凍ってしまった道路で滑ってしまい、それが原因で大けがする人もいます。雪が降った翌日はなるべく日があたる道を選んで歩きましょう。

③服装
雪が降っているときよりも翌日の服装が大切です。道路がとても滑るので、長ぐつなど滑りにくい靴を履きましょう。また、滑って手をついたときに氷で手が切れることがあるので、手袋をしましょう。頭を守るための帽子も必要です。また、鞄はリュックなど両手があくものがいいです。長靴がない人はスニーカーの裏に絆創膏を貼るとすべりにくいというライフハックがあります。ぜひ試してみてください。

本校ではあたたかい国から来る学生が多いです。雪を見るのが初めてだとはめをはずして雪遊びをしてしまい、風邪をひいてしまった人もいます。雪遊びはほどほどにしましょうね。今回は寮の前に融雪剤をまく予定です。近所の人が雪かきで大変そうなら協力しましょう。日本人と仲良くなれるチャンスでもあります。また、雪の日はあまり外に出ないほうがいいので、買い物は早めに済ませましょうね！

那珂川町馬頭

秩父神社の「鬼やらい」
毎年2月3日に行われている秩父神社の「節分追儺（ついな）祭」のことです。
鬼がいっぱい登場し、年男・年女による「鬼やらい」や「豆撒き」が行われます。
年男・年女が「鬼は外～」といいながら豆をまくと、鬼は退散。

群馬県長野原町河原湯温泉で厳冬の早朝に行われる奇祭「湯かけ祭り」
源頼朝が温泉を発見してから約400年が過ぎたある日のこと、突然温泉が出なくなってしまいました。村人たちは困り果てましたが、そのうちのひとりが温泉の匂いをかいだところ、ニワトリの卵をゆでた匂いがします。そこでニワトリを生贄にしてお祈りしたところ、お湯が再び出てきたので、みんなでお祝いする事になりました。
はじめは「お湯わいた、お湯わいた」といって喜んでいましたが、そのうち「お祝いだ、お祝いだ」と言ってみんなでお湯をかけあうようになったのが始まりです。
生きたニワトリが入った紅白のくす玉をお湯をかけて割っているところです！

「特別巡回ラジオ体操・みんなの体操会」（1978年開始）は、全国10会場程度で開催されています。この写真は、小金井市にある江戸東京たてもの園前広場で夏に開催された時の物です。