Ohanami....

Friday after work, I had the opportunity to go to an Ohanami, or Cherry Blossom Viewing Party.  It was held near a Shinto Shrine in Ishinomaki.  Honestly, all I had to go by was a screen-shot map in Japanese and so when I made it to the destination, I was very amazed that I managed to find my way =D

I spent a few minutes outside, unsure if I was in the right place, and looked around.  A very nice Japanese man asked me if I was looking for the Ohanami, and when I said yes, he directed me to where I needed to go.  I was introduced to a room full of Japanese people, and Kyoko-san gave me a great big smile.  Everyone seemed impressed that I could say "hajimemashite" and introduce myself in Japanese.  After I got some food and soda, some other people started to filter in, including other ALTs with the JET program and Miyuki-san.  

The club who provided the Ohanami is called the Kiwi club.  The President stood, gave a small speech in English about the Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) and motioned to the one tree outside the window, which had some buds and was beginning to blossom.  After that, we went around the room and introduced ourselves to everyone.

Apparently we were there for three hours, but it seriously felt like maybe half an hour.  All of the apprehension that I felt going into the party quickly dissipated with the easy conversations and friendly people.  We all had a lot of fun, and I once again felt lucky and fortunate to participate in something so much apart of the culture here.