Regular Essays

Contest Essays -- Hanami Experience

A Visit to the Dentist

by Toshima Yasushi

One morning, I felt a pain in my tooth.  I looked into the mirror in the bathroom to see which tooth hurt.  I found a big hole in the molar on the right side which had had a dental treatment more than a year ago.

I wondered why I did not notice it last night and then realized that I had eaten a sticky candy yesterday.  Oh, my god!  I might have eaten a metal filling with the candy!  I asked my stomach about its condition, and it said "NO GOOD".   I found I had both a toothache and a stomachache.

Anyway, I started to prepare to go out, but I did not know which doctor I should visit - either a dentist or a physician.  Since I am a picky person, I had to think about a lot of things.  For example, about my clothes:  I took a new undershirt out of the closet, which a physician may look at carefully to consider whether the patient is clean or not, and to decide how long he should spare time for the patient.  Then I had to press a shirt with an iron, which a dentist may look at carefully to consider whether the patient will pay much money to him or not, and to decide how long he can keep the patient waiting for his turn.

Finally, I brushed my teeth and found that the molar was covered with metal as usual.   Why?  I was totally confused.  Then I realized that I had eaten a piece of seaweed with breakfast.  It had been covering the molar and I thought it was a hole.  Soon the pains in my tooth and stomach disappeared.

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The Perfect Vacation

by Teraguchi Masako

I would spend the perfect vacation on a snowy mountain.

There are some wooden modern lodges.  Each of the lodges has a big fireplace.   There are rocking-chairs made from walnut trees.  A lovely dinner is set on the wooden table, which is covered with a pretty red and white tablecloth.

We come back from heli-skiing and change our clothes to something comfy.

I would like to take a warm hot-spring bath and sauna before eating dinner.

After dinner, we will play cards, and watch a horror movie about a "snow man".

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A Letter to Percy Ross -- by Yoshinaga Kiyono

Dear Mr. Ross,

How are you?

Today, I have a wish, so I wrote this letter.  I have a job at a Horse Racing Museum.  Sometimes, children from an orphanage come here.  This museum is admission-free, so they can visit.

One child said to me:  "I want to go to Tokyo Disneyland and I want to meet Mickey Mouse," but they can't have luxurious trips.

So, may I ask for a favor?

I want to give Disneyland tickets as presents to the children of the orphanage.   There are 20 children and 4 teachers.  The tickets cost $35 each for children, and $52 for adults.

Could you please send $908?

Sincerely,

Kiyono

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Contest Essays -- Hanami Experience

First Prize

Cupid Lives Under the Cherry Tree -- Toshima Yasushi

Every creature waits for spring for a long time during the cold winter.  Like the snow in the mountains melting and flowing into a river, or insects creeping out of the ground, we start to do something in the springtime.

A cherry blossom appears before its leaves are out, however most plants follow the steps of growing:  first leafing out, then blooming, and so on.  Since the cherry trees wait for a long time, almost a year since they bloomed last, they cannot wait anymore.  They just want to celebrate the springtime and bloom cheerfully anyway.   Cherry blossoms give us the motivation to do something which we cannot do during the wintertime, such as starting a new job, finding a new partner, and so on.

Here is my story about a Cherry Blossom Party.  The Kajigaya 1st Park, which is close to my apartment, is popular for watching cherry blossoms.  I held potluck parties twice under the cherry blossoms with my colleagues there.  Most of my colleagues had married but three of them had not.  At the first party, one of the three who had not married brought his girlfriend and introduced her to us.  It was something which we did not expect because we believed that he lived outside of the world of love affairs.  We had tons of questions about them for a long time, regardless of the fact that we met his girlfriend for the first time.

Finally they married the next year and we met again at the next party.  At the second party, we had another guest who seemed to be too young to be a girlfriend for either of my two colleagues who had not married.  Each of us tried to figure out who she was and we were eager to ask but could not for a long time.  We kept silent and continued sending eye signals to the one who seemed to have brought the young girl to the party.  Finally, he started to introduce his young girlfriend in response to our strong expectations.  He said she was one of his colleagues in the company which we worked for at that time, but he never said she was his girlfriend.  By habit, we started to ask tons of questions about them for a long time, regardless of the fact that we met his colleague for the first time.  We got a lot of important information, such as she was younger than him by 9 years and was going to rent a new apartment for someone, etc...

Finally they married the next year.  We found an established theory that every new guest to the Cherry Blossom Party will marry the next year, and we believe there lives a cupid of love under the cherry tree.

Now we are seeking the next chance to have a party.

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Hanami Experience -- Kumada Keiko

I live nearby the Miyazakidai station.  That place is a cherry-tree-lined street and it has a "Sakura Festival" once a year.  That street's name is "Sakura Zaka".  The cherry trees were in full bloom this year.

I went to the the Sakura Festival with my mother and her friend, and my pet dog.   A good time was had by all there.  There was a breeze after a while.  The cherry blossoms of the trees came whirling down.  It was very beautiful, it was just like snow.

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Going To See Cherry blossoms -- Tanaka Michiyo

I went to see cherry blossoms with my friend.  We went from my home to Maskata Mountain Park, Forrest Park and Tudayama Park.

We both walked.  It took about 4 hours.  First, Maskata Mountain Park's observatory landscape was very beautiful and fantastic.  Then we went through the Osinuma cross-over, and we went to Forrest Park.  There we had lunch.  We ate two rice balls.

At last, we came to Tudayama Park.  There we were disappointed because there were many people and various smells (roast meat or roast fish, etc...)  "dumplings, rather than flowers".

Our feet hurt, but our feeling was very good.

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Second Prize

It was the worst hanami experience of my entire life.

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"We Like Hanamis." -- Naganuma Noriko

Spring gets my body excited.  Because the temperature is warm, and all the flowers smell sweet, I feel I must go out.

There are cherry trees near my house.  I went there on a Hanami excursion when I was a junior high school student.  Recently, I went on a Hanami with my friends.  

We must collect our friends, and friends' friends, because many people are amusing.   If you don't have many people, you don't need to worry.  So I think that Hanami's rule is no strangers.  You will make friends.  Even we sing with our neighbors.  Cherry trees make our hearts expansive, and they have mysterious powers.

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Third Prize

Why Do Japanese People Hold Hanamis? -- Yoshinaga Kiyono

Every year, in March and April is Hanami season.  In Japan, people go too see the cherry blossoms with congenial companions or family when cherry blossoms are at their best.  It's called Hanami.

Hanami are respectively, for example, drinking alcoholic beverages, everybody brings food, delivery pizza, and I think people chatter while drinking juice under the cherry tree, too.

When did the first Hanamis start, and who started them?

I think "Why did Japanese people hold Hanami?" One of the reasons, Japan has a distinct difference of four seasons, so throughout the year, we can feel each season is elegant.  Spring has Hanami, summer has barbecues and camping, autumn has red leaves, winter has winter sports and dishes served in a pot, from things like that we can see and feel the different seasons.

The other reason, cherry blossoms are a very profound flower and one of the proud flowers of Japan.

Cherry blossoms have many kinds.  First cherry blossoms bloom in December.   Most late cherry blossoms are in full bloom in April.  They have different petals, sizes, shapes and colors.  They are very beautiful.

In Japan, warm spring days gradually increase, and the first breezes start.  TV news shows point out this season's (March, April) Hanami points and full bloom times.   Recently, Hanamis are introduced as company events and school excursions.  All of Japan is waiting for Hanami season.  It's very fascinating to spend time with congenial companions under beautiful cherry blossoms. 

It's an important time for everyone.

I think so.

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Hanami Experience -- Murahashi Chisako

I like cherry blossoms,  I like to see them full blown and falling.  They're very beautiful but I don't like picnics under cherry trees, I haven't had a good experience. 

There were usually bad conditions.  I usually felt cold because of spring breezes and I sat on stiff and cold ground.  I hate to get drunk and see other drunk people.   Many people got too drunk.  They were carrying people to the hospital.   These are the reasons I hate "hanamis".

By the way, I think indoor hanamis are better than outdoors.

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Hanami Experience -- Machida Rika

I can't use the word "Hanami" very well.  Now we use the word for two meanings in Japan. 

The main meaning of the word is a party under sakura trees.  The sub meaning of the word is watching flowers.  I like just watching flowers.  I hate the party meaning. 

My favorite remembrance of "Hanami" is a scene of laying in green grass under sakura trees.  Sakura flowers fell down like snow.  I watched the flowers and the blue sky.  It was so beautiful.  I couldn't watch sakura flowers very much this year, so next season I want to watch them very much.

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Fourth Prize
Hanami Experience Report -- Tateno Machiko

I can see the cherry trees in my neighborhood.  I live at Miyazakidai.  There are cherry trees along the road.  There are cherry trees in front of Miyazakidai station.  Every morning I saw them blossoming on the way to my office.  I couldn't give a "Hanami party" this year.  I had two reasons:  I was very busy everyday and I had a pollen allergy.  I couldn't relieve the heavy symptoms, for example:  my running nose and eyes felt itchy and tears ran from my eyes. 

By the way, I remembered something when I saw the cherry trees.  I can't remember exactly but, I learned a "Sakura story" when I was in elementary school.  I learned it in Japanese class.  The story is written by a traditional colorist of kimonos.  I was very impressed by her words.  She said "I thought everybody felt the cherry trees in spring were beautiful.  Cherry blossoms, especially have nice coloring.  Of course we can't see the cherry blossoms every season.  We can see them only in spring.  The cherry trees save the pink color in the tree bark.   The colorist has to strip the tree of its bark. Then she boils it so she can extract the pink color.  The cherry blossoms come out for a moment, but the tree's inner bark keeps pink color all year round."

I was impressed with this story when I heard it.  I remember it every season.

END

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Hanami Experience - Hirata Shuko

I went to Tsukushino for flower viewing.  Tsukushino city has very beautiful Sakura.  I like flowers.  Especially for Sakura, I want to go to Tsukushino next year.

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Hanami Experience - Mochida Yuriko

Spring comes.  The flowers of cherry trees bloom.  There are many cherry trees in our town.  I can see the flowers when I go to my office.  I'm very deeply impressed with the beauty of the blowers. 

A hanami is when friends gather under a cherry tree and eat, drink and make merry.   I go to hanami with my friends.  We drink, eat delicious foods and enjoy our time.  Nobody sees the flowers, but we call it cherry blossom-viewing.

However, when cherry blossoms begin to bloom, we have an impulse to go to a hanami every year.  I don't know why we go to hanamis in spite of not seeing the flowers.

I think everyone likes cherry blossoms, and loves hanamis.

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