Celebrate Japan!

Ideally this image (taken from the Celebrate! Japan book) would say Celebrate Japan! In the days following the tsunami and 9.0 earthquake in Sendai, the idea to celebrate all things Japanese feels like an antidote to the sad, heavy and downright worrisome stories coming out of Japan these days.  If you are from Japan, have spent time living there, have visited the country or know someone else who has, you will know that Japan is a fascinating country.  There is so much to love and celebrate about Japan and her people.  So let’s do it.  Let’s share our love about all things Japanese as a way of showing solidarity for the country and her citizens.  Topics will be introduced by date with the most recent first.  Please consider responding in the comment section of this page rather than in the Facebook comment section. That way people who come across this posting will be able to read your feedback.

April 18, 2011

It’s still cherry blossom season in Japan.  Head on over to the MustloveJapan.com site to see beautiful photos of flowers in Japanese gardens.  The Japanese people have a deep appreciation of nature and make a point of going out to view seasonal flowers in special locations throughout the year.

March 24, 2011

We received the following message from Effie K. in Athens about a project that Tokyo Graffiti magazine is planning to publish.  Submissions are invited from people around the world who would like to send a message of support to the people of Japan and in particular the residents of Sendai. The deadline is at the end of March. Here are the details if you would like to participate.

Message from Effie:

I was contacted by a Japanese publishing company,?HP http://grfft.com/ and they have a new project, which is to make a magazine for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami to give them the inspiration & hope for the better in the future.

They are currently requesting us to send our message of love, hope and encouragement and they are going to put them together in the magazine!

How to participate:

Please provide the following information and send it to bcfamily [at] bcfamily.ca:

1  Full name
2  Gender
3  Age
4  Country
5  Occupation
6  Message: doesn’t have to be that long, a couple of lines would be good.   Just for the Japanese or for Japan, for your Japanese friend.
7  Picture: Please do not forget to include your picture so that readers could see your face.
8 Language: Japanese or English

Deadline: This project is due to the end of this month, as all messages need to be collected by March 31st. I would appreciate it if you could help me out as soon as possible.

Spread the word: Please ask your friend and your family too. We need lots of messages!!

I believe this is a great way to show our love and support to Japan.  I appreciate each one of your contribution and cooperation, thank you !

Note:  Since the deadline for submission is the 31st and there is a time delay between Vancouver and Greece, please aim to submit your contribution by the morning of March 30th.

******

March 21, 2011

Here is a touching tribute to Japan and the Japanese from a group of international students living Japan.

March 17th, 2011

In Japan the changing seasons dominate the calendar throughout the year.  At any time during the year you will find people going to view a specific flower that is in bloom or surveying some aspect of nature.  As March progresses, people have already enjoyed the early blooming of plum trees and anticipate the arrival of  cherry blossoms (sakura).  There are well over 200 varities of sakura and many people will have a favourite type of blossom and favourite place for blossom viewing.

Question: Do you have a favourite type of cherry blossom?  Where is your favourite place to view cherry blossoms in Japan? (Or elsewhere if you live outside of Japan.)  What is your favourite way to view the blossoms?  Do you join your colleagues?  Do you go for walks?  Do you have picnics with others at some of Japan’s famous cemeteries? Have you had sakura blossoms served in tea? Do you have photos of cherry blossoms on a website?  Would you like to share the link?  Are you living in Japan right now or in an area that has a lot of cherry blossom trees?  Please share a sakura report.  As March comes to a close they start to bloom.

Cherry blossom season is a high point in the cycle of mother nature in Japan. Despite the many challenges being faced in Japan right now, mother nature will be sharing her beautiful blossoms very soon.

Related: Enjoying Cherry Blossom Season