teamEggers

Hanami: Naka-Meguro / YoYogi

“Spring” is the only season I’ve ever tagged in the blog, which… makes me wonder. Why? I don’t even particularly like spring. If I had to pick a favourite season, fall wins by a landslide. The colour palette is way better. But with spring… it’s easy to focus on how drastic it is.

April rains, and rains. And it’s hot and it’s cold. And then you blink, and in an instant if seems as if the whole world has exhaled. It’s quite breathtaking, when you come right down to it.

So it’s no wonder then, that I post about spring so often. And springtime, in japan, is quite the place to be.

We’ve talked about hanami, yes? It’s perhaps the very best piece of japan we can take home with us: the tradition of stopping what you’re doing to celebrate the fleeting beauty of things. Celebrate how good things are. Be outside with your friends. Drink, merriment, etc. Have a… corona?

When that’s what they’re selling out of trucks on the side of the road, that is. The evening in Naka-Meguro, I think we ate dinner a total of 7 times. Julie, jon and I literally stopped at every food vendor that looked tasty, split something and moved on. I was so full I could have been rolled into the river, and I might not have minded.

Japanese girls have this adorable way of standing next to the low-hanging blossom and flashin the peace sign for the camera. If jon were an adorable japanese girl, this is what he might look like:

**

Another day, another park. More springtime.

Japan is not a place for the claustrophobic.

But for those who stay, it’s totally worth braving the crowds. What a cool place to have been able to live in.

I had to keep reminding myself that I might not be anywhere else like this again. We met Emi and Reece at a party on a sunday afternoon, in yoyogi park. It was exactly how you might imagine a party in a tokyo park look like: loud music (until the cops come and tell them to turn it down), booze, & dancing. And a lot of people.

In my natural state, I’m kind of a downer and have to be coerced into have a good time. Thanks, jon. (On the flip side, look at my fantastic glasses. Ashley said I was “so fitted” or something with this coat.  I think she meant I matched.  Am I an old lady because I think teenagers speak a different language?)

Also… Emi and Reece are so totally perfect for each other… they even match today: