An unusual week in the life of a Brit in Tokyo

Japan is infamous for its much loved, city and country immersing, sakura trees. Ugly as sin for most of the year but breakout in gorgeous fashion toward the, give or take, closing days of March. And so, Saturday was spent sitting in a local park under the beautiful cherry blossom. Hanami is a time the entire country finds somewhere to locate oneself under the trees, crack a few beers, catch up with friends or simply relax and take in the pleasure of spring. Didn't hurt that the weather couldn't have cooperated more either. And so began my birthday week in Tokyo.

Sunday, I was supposed to be meeting an old friend for lunch at a pleasant French restaurant we both have old memories of. My friend lives out of town near Fuji these days and we don't catch up as much as we used to so was very much looking forward to an afternoon of chat, wine and excellent food. Arriving at 1.30pm (again in perfect weather) I walk over from where I live and there, much to my genuine surprise, was the entire ensemble, nearly twenty friends in all, to congratulate me on getting just that little bit older (including the suitable red jacket, celebrating my age).

Monday, my actual birthday, we were invited to our Japanese friends' home near where we live. This is rare here, it's unusual to be invited to someone's house, dining tends to be out on the town. They set about imbibing me with shochu (knowing that's my poison of choice) and they fully succeeded in their objectives. Don't really remember the end of the evening. One thing I do remember though was the present from my son. A t-shirt from every concert we'd been to since he was seven. Seventeen in all from Eric Clapton, the first, to Queen and Adam Lambert, the last (Oasis in 2025 he took me to so that one didn't count). I'm not going to forget that gift, the thought or the effort. Ever.

The next couple of days were a blur of a birthday hat to replace the Panama I've had for thirty five years, which admittedly has seen better days but I'm not letting it go whatever, coffee with an old friend who had started my son's school many years ago, and in the evening I streamed in to a friend's funeral, he was young and cancer had taken it's toll. The service was an easy to access but I wish I'd received more invites to weddings rather than funerals if you see what I mean.

To brighten the mood, Thursday was shoot day. Photography is a passion of mine (portrait before you ask, put me in front of Fuji on a glorious day and I'd take a tourist snap, but people, I can make them relax and the results will make them smile). This one was a very beautiful Japanese lady who's an awful lot of fun and agreed to the shoot on the basis of I let her play with my dog when we finished. The pictures turned out stunning and if interested (or even if not) you can see some of them on my IG here but that's just me, blowing the proverbial self trumpet. Another great day.

The car is now in the shop in Yokohama (needed a specialist for this one). In Japan your car requires a service every couple of years which can run into thousands of pounds, so it's good to get problems fixed prior to the mandated bi-annual review (shaken) as it's usually significantly less expensive. The shop is doing the fix for a little over GBP2,000 but the brands own service center quoted a little over GBP10,000. See what I mean.

And the week finished with a regular medical check up which included being injected with what the doc referred to as a "radio-active isotope". Hmm, no additional details provided but it turned out to be a CAT Scan in the end. Funny, and a little unnerving, when you see your entire skeleton lying there. Japan works on a preventative medical basis rather than waiting until you're actually sick. No one spoke English but when they motion for you to lie on a bed that is clearly about to carry you into a large machine, you get the idea. Turns out I'm ok and even better, didn't glow in the dark afterwards either.

So, on the whole, not a bad birthday week and thank you so much to all involved. I had no idea about the surprise party if you were wondering. How they kept that from me is a miracle of the age. And now the week if over, it's raining here in Tokyo, but I have a smile on my face.

The Snows of Spring

So, I'm enjoying the balmy first days of Spring in Tokyo, whereas two weeks ago I was sliding, knee deep in snow just two hours from here (managed to keep my feet if not my dignity). And then two days ago in central Tokyo the snow caught up with me, the temperatures having dropped to the lowest for many a moon. There was the fun of comparing snow depths around the area, a friend winning with 30cm, mine had been a more modest 18cm. And then another friend, in the throws of making a short movie in Niigata, north west Japan, extinguished all bonfires with a whopping two meters.

But as I say, we're now 24C and I may be able to switch off the yukadambo (under-floor heating) until next winter. With the extraordinary help of a good friend, my car is now re-certified (shaken) and instead of costing JPY1.4m as per the dealer, it only set me back ~JPY65k (that's roughly the difference between USD10k and USD500, if you were wondering) (and thank you, without you I'd be wondering lost around the testing station in downtown Shinagawa).

Hay fever season has kicked in in the Tokyo Metropole, although I'm lucky and don't suffer too badly, there are a lot of exploding people around me as I walk into town (I like to walk and when I say "town" I'm referring to the center of one of the largest cities on Planet Earth. Nice walk though. Flu season seems to have passed, it was mild this year but a few friends were laid low for a week or so (I acquired Swine Flu a few years back and that one knocked me sideways). And now waiting for hay-fever to subside, before the next round in May, we're coming to Hanami Season when the entire country sits under the Cherry Blossom, drinking beer and contemplating the world going by. Could be worse.

The Hanami Parties of Japan - time to get planning

The hanami party is as much part of the annual cycle of the seasons in Japan as are Golden Week shopping and being stuck in the Obon U-turn rush. Hanami refers to the viewing of the cherry blossoms that bloom in late March and early April marking the end of the long, cold Winter and the onset of Spring with the warmer weather to come. It also usually marks unexpected rainstorms and the end of under floor heating until needed again in November.

However, it has to be said that Japan knows how to party and when the weather turns, the parks will be filled not so much with purveyors of beautiful flora but the bon viveurs of Asahi Super Dry and Kirin Lager Beer. Friends will have organised a gathering in a favoured location and will spend the day enjoying each others company. The main park in Shinjuku actually tries to ban alcohol and suddenly young mothers with babies become popular as they sneak the bottles in under the push pram blankets.

As ever the atmosphere will be relaxed and jovial, some may even bring mobile karaoke systems but no one will play music so loud as to annoy anyone else. Those partaking of the event a little too much will be wrapped in coats and allowed to sleep it off while the festivities continue into the night. And at the end of the day everyone will pack up their litter in carefully separated recycle bags and in the morning you would never know anything had happened at all. And then it starts all over again.

Spring arrives in Tokyo

Yesterday was the first day of Spring in Tokyo. Although by definition it arrived last Friday with the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, no one is really interested in technicalities, the important question is when has the sakura arrived? Throughout the year, the cherry trees with their tangled branches are an ungainly, even ugly, sight. But when the blossom announces the onset of the hanami parties it's time for people to enjoy a beer under the branches and Spring is here.

Hanami parties will happen all across Tokyo for the next two weeks. People will take blankets to the parks and rivers and celebrate with friends. Yasakuni Shrine and the walk around the Emperor's palace are famous for their beauty at this time of year but my favourite is a walk along the Meguro River. Although an open concrete storm drain these days, for the next two weeks it transforms. If you have a spare afternoon, there are worse places you could go. Happy Hanami everyone!