March 17, 2016
JET Teacher Laurence's End of Term Web Post!
Laurence Here. Ah, spring!
Trees are blooming, nature is blooming, love is booming, lattes are…also blooming?
That’s right, it’s Sakura season here in Japan and so, temporarily, everything will be flowery and pink.
It’s also starting to get warmer here, finally! I can’t believe I made it! I’m also currently on the hunt for plane tickets for this summer. I will be going back home during mid-July, escaping the much dreaded Japanese summer. I’ve heard that last year last was especially hot and as a result, I didn’t really appreciate my first Japanese summer experience.
This month, I attended a Japanese graduation ceremony for the first time. It a lot more formal and longer than it is abroad. Case in point: I barely remember mine in high school and it wasn’t that long ago. Even though I haven’t been here for long, I could understand how important this day is for the students and their parents as well as the teachers. There were a lot of tears shed, but they were lots of smiles and laughter too. I felt very privileged to be able to take part in such an event.
As you might have read in other blog posts, this month, the international department students and teachers went to Nikko! It was a long trip, but I really enjoyed looking at the beautiful buildings, learning about the history of the World Heritage site as well as spending more time with the international students, who we haven’t been able to spend a lot of time with lately. I definitely want to go back at least once before I leave Japan. 
A local snack I really enjoyed was the sweet and salty yuba fried manju. The combination of the crispiness and the saltiness of the batter and the softness of the manju mixed with the sweetness of the sweet red bean paste was an eye-opening experience. That’s when I realized that when push comes to shove, I don’t really need a man in my life, you know? Just manju. 
See you next month!