Every year at this time, the trees blossom and everyone goes out to have a party under them. It is known as O-hanami, or "blossom viewing". We went to two places this year, the grounds of Ueda Castle and to our own property for a large picnic under our six cherry trees.



Ueda Castle was crowded but beautiful, and Anri liked walking around among the pretty flowers. But the big event was a few days later, today, when we had a big picnic lunch under our own cherry blossoms.

Anri started attending daily kindergarten on Saturday, April 7th. Beginning with an "entrance ceremony", on Saturday, it has, since then, been lots of fun.

The kindergarten is Enpuku Kindergarten, a popular and quite large Buddhist Temple-based school with a well-known elderly priest as its spiritual leader. Though the place is temple based, the curriculum is largely secular. All the kids must arrive in their formal uniform. Once through the gate they change into their play clothes, which are another kind of uniform. Before leaving, they must change back into the formal uniform. Since Anri loves to put on dresses -- sometimes mutliple layers at once -- we figure all this changing of clothes will be easy for her!

All classes are named after flowers. Anri's is tanpopo, Japanese for "dandelion". A bus rolls nearby to pick Anri up every morning and take her to the kindergarten. The bus has a name too: the "tulip" bus. It has tulips painted all over it. Seeing the kids wearing their little hats riding on this bus is the cutest sight to see!