The Week of the Sakura

 I took this photo near where we are currently living in Meguro Ku. The cherry blossoms are absolutely stunning right now!

Hey everyone,

 So this morning started with a bus ride of an extremely-crowded lunch rush... so I could get to the computer lab on time. Normally if I have about an hour I can take the train but the bus will sometimes actually get me to school faster when I'm running late. Today is actually my last day working at the computer lab as my work visa for my teaching position is finally on its way! Hooray!

 We're in the apartment hunt right now. Hopefully by April 23rd we'll have found a nice place in North West Tokyo to call our homes. To all those foreigners out there who are looking for apartments in Tokyo, I feel your pain! It can be downright frustrating and confusing to find an apartment in Tokyo, particularly if you want a reasonable one that's not insanely marked with up front key-money, deposits and guarantor requirements. Furthermore, if you want to find the best services, sometimes it really comes down to asking someone that's been here a long time (in our case, our student services office) and they can lead you to some places that don't require guarantors or crazy key money (which can sometimes be up to SIX MONTHS RENT in gift money to the owner that you NEVER get back! I know! This seems crazy to most Americans, for sure.) I can now personally recommend Gaijinpot.com, which has some excellent services for foreigners. I would also like to extend my recommendation to the Jourdan Train Finder, which provides a great English train-route service online. If you ever want to map out your train time/cost/route in advance this is definitely the best site in English out there that includes ALL the train line companies rather than just a few "sponsored" ones.

     On my way home I took pictures of the Sakura, which are finally coming into full bloom. This Friday through next Friday is the peak-viewing time in Tokyo, and I'm excited to try to take as much video and photography as possible to show everyone. It's definitely super beautiful and every bit the beautiful, epic scene that cinema paints it to be. Even the strangest parts of the city are made beautiful by them. I have to say, the only thing that frustrates me is that I'm so allergic to these few weeks of spring. With a mask and some medicine it helps, but it does make me a little sad that something so beautiful makes me sneeze and have headaches! Cruel irony? I think maybe a little...
     But Sakura season is one of the best seasons to be in Japan, even with allergies! There is sakura flavored everything - from Kit Kat Bars to traditional Mochi to Sake - there's something you'd probably love. Also, people have picnics and parties under the cherry blossoms, and it's known to be a time where people relax with friends and family under the beauty of the blossoms.

     That's all for now. Enjoy the photos and if you like what you read, or have any questions, please feel free to fill in a comment form! I will get back to you as soon as possible.

 Thanks for reading,
 Lady Jones