It's only late May now, and it's already the beginning of Summer. I love the seasons in Nagoya (although we'll see if I keep this opinion-- they tell me it will be miserably hot and humid come July and August). I don't update this in a timely manner lately because the novelty of Japan has largely worn off and I've settled into a pretty comfortable routine. There have been a few new adventures, though. I registered for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test -Level 2. Level 1 is the hardest, and 5 is the easiest. I'm pretty sure 2 will be next to impossible for me, but I'll do my best. There will likely be no better time for me to take the test, so I figured I'd at least give it a shot.
And there's more than just studying happening! In March, I finally got to see some Sakura! Those are the Japanese cherry blossoms that are famous around the world. They last only a very short time, maybe a week or so, but it's an important part of Japan. All around the country, people get together in parks to eat and drink beneath the blossoms. In Nagoya, we went to Tsurumai Park where many food stands were set up with music and entertainment. It was a great atmosphere, and the Sakura were beautiful.
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| Tsurumai Park - 鶴舞公園 |
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| Festival Food! TamaSen: Egg, cheese, and condiments between two senbei crackers |
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| A little bit of shenanigans in front of some food stands. |
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| But we can look nice sometimes, too <3 |
I also walked along the riverside of Yamazaki Gawa, which I hear is designated as one of the top 100 cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan. I can definitely understand why.
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| Yamazaki River - 山崎側 |
Now I see why Japan is so proud of their sakura. Even when cherry blossom season comes to an end, it's really moving to see the pretty petals gently falling all around you. I've said this before (in the Kyoto post, if I recall correctly), but seriously, I've never been so infatuated with trees before! It's almost silly how many photos I took.
SURPRISE BONUS RANDOM FOOD PICTURE TIME!
