Speaking of Japanese Spring: A Season of Meetings, Farewells, and more!【comprehensible input 】

Hello everyone this is Naoko Spring has already come What do you think of when you hear the word spring What do you imagine What do you picture I would like to talk about the topic of Japanese spring Yes about 1 or 2 years ago there was a program titled "Speaking Summer " I made a video about summer in Japan If you haven't seen it yet please watch it Please take a look Today is the spring version of that video Spring version spring edition Today I would like to introduce many things that come to mind when thinking of spring in Japan Please listen carefully since I have a lot to say First it is often said that spring in Japan is a season of meetings and partings A season of meetings and partings A meeting refers to meeting someone new for the first time Then parting means saying goodbye In Japan spring is often said to be a season of meetings and partings I'll explain why spring is called the season of meetings and partings First of all when we think of spring we think of entrance ceremonies and graduation ceremonies The entrance ceremony is a ceremony for enrolling in a new school And the graduation ceremony is a ceremony when you graduate from the school you have studied at so far This is a graduation ceremony In Japan the school year begins in April The school year in Japan starts in April and ends in March From April to March is one year The school year So basically elementary schools junior high schools and high schools start in April and graduate in March Universities also mostly start in April and graduate in March So first in March we say goodbye to our classmates with whom we have studied so far Goodbye see you again Everyone will go to different schools you know And in April we will enroll in a new school I will enroll in a new school and make new friends I will meet many new people That is why this season is called a time of meetings and partings And this is not just a time of meetings and partings for elementary and middle school students but also for adults They say "entering a new company" is called "joining the company " In Japan many people join in April Of course not everyone does Companies often hire new people by April They recruit There are many people who start working on April 1st Some people work in different offices of the same company People who work at the Tokyo office until March and then start working at the Osaka office This is called a transfer when you start working at the same company but different location Transfer Yes I think a lot of people are transferred in March and April Many people quit their jobs in March and start working at a new company in April By the way changing jobs is called "changing jobs" in Japanese Changing jobs Yes Many people resign join transfer or change jobs in March and April Everyone says thank you for everything so far I go to a new place and say hello nice to meet you and please take care of me from now on Yes that's why for adults too this season is a time of meeting and parting Does your country have a similar atmosphere Then next Hina Matsuri Hina Matsuri is a traditional Japanese event held on March 3rd This is a day to wish for a girl's growth and health Yes it is a day to wish for a girl's growth and health This March 3rd is an important day bu But it's not a Japanese holiday Yes then on this Hina Matsuri Hina Matsuri day What do you do First you put up hina dolls at home This is a hina doll A hina doll Yes the doll is a doll A doll We used to display the hina dolls at our house every year We usually start decorating around February and keep them up until March 3rd By the way this hina doll comes in various sizes There are hina dolls of various sizes There are also compact hina dolls There is also a very large hina doll set My grandmother had a very large hina doll set Every year we decorated the room with a large hina doll It was really big Yes it's interesting because there are various types of hina dolls Girls' Day is celebrated by displaying hina dolls Then we eat chirashi sushi and hina are Chirashi sushi is delicious Yes then next Sakura After all when it comes to spring it's cherry blossoms Cherry blossoms bloom at different times depending on the region When do they bloom They generally start blooming in southern regions Cherry blossoms in Tokyo and Osaka typically bloom from late March to early April By the way cherry blossoms gradually open like this This is called "full bloom" when all the sakura flowers are properly and beautifully in full bloom What is full bloom Yes it usually takes about a week until it is in full bloom Cherry blossom petals fall about a week after the trees are in full bloom Cherry blossom petals fall By the way the onomatopoeia for falling cherry blossom petals is "hirahira" and the petals drift away Flowers all of them are beautiful aren't they All flowers are beautiful They're beautiful but I still think cherry blossoms have a special feel to them Then when it comes to sakura it's hanami Hanami or flower viewing Yes have you all heard of it Hanami You can probably tell from the kanji Flowers looking at flowers Enjoying flowers while looking at them is called hanami I sit under the cherry blossom tree and eat lunch or drink sake The rest is just to enjoy the cherry blossoms and take it slow By the way cherry blossoms are beautiful even at night The cherry blossoms at night called "yozakura " are really beautiful Sometimes there are cherry blossoms that are illuminated It's a great choice to see the night cherry blossoms I think they are beautiful and lovely Next rapeseed flowers This is also a flower Rape flowers are yellow flowers that bloom in spring You can often see them near rivers or fields from February to April Then this rape flower is actually edible We eat it as a side dish or tempura Although it has a slightly bitter taste I think it is popular as a spring flavor Next pollen You can probably tell from the kanji for pollen And powder this is powder Pollen the powder of flowers Powder the powder of flowers It is a small powder that comes from trees grass and flowers in spring It is powder This pollen can cause sneezing a runny nose and itchy eyes Allergic symptoms will appear This condition is called hay fever Does your country have people with hay fever By the way I think I might have hay fever too lately Wild vegetables Wild vegetables refer to edible plants that grow in the mountains or fields Wild vegetables are often prepared as a dish called "o-hanami" similar to the rape blossoms I just mentioned and they are also frequently eaten as tempura This one also has a slightly bitter taste I think it's popular as a taste of spring Wild vegetables come in many varieties but one well-known type is called "Fuki no Tou " Fuki no Tou I've only eaten it two or three times But when spring comes you often see dishes like mountain vegetable tempura or mountain vegetables in a whole form at Japanese restaurants There are many such menu items If you're interested please visit a Japanese restaurant in the spring and try the food Finally sakura mochi Is this a cherry blossom leaf It's a Japanese sweet wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf It's a traditional dessert Japanese sweets Wagashi I just briefly explained that I think many people eat them on March 3rd Hinamatsuri I don't eat it very often but I really like my mother Then I'll end it here today When it comes to spring in Japan there are graduation ceremonies entrance ceremonies and new employee ceremonies so I think the season is strongly associated with meetings and farewells It feels like the season of a new life is beginning What is the atmosphere like in your country during March April and May Do you have any special events or special foods Thank you so much for watching until the end today See you again You worked hard Thank you