Today we went to 柴又 (Shibamata, Tokyo).
It’s a 下町 (traditional, downtown) area of Tokyo that I like alot. (Click here to see my post in which I explain a little about this area and have more photos.)
We also went to a nearby park and saw the 梅の花 (Plum flowers) and 寒桜 (Winter Cherry Blossoms) were in bloom.
梅の花 (Plum flowers)
寒桜 (Winter Cherry Blossoms)
It’s still cold in Tokyo…but spring’s not too far off now.
What kinds of flowers are in bloom where you live in the world?
What are the signs of winter ending and spring coming in your country?
Tokyo Five 
Easter celebrates the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Prior to that Catholics observe Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, and Good Friday. Google those days for more info.
Here in Hawaii, we know it is winter when the temperature hovers in the 60s at night and 70s during the day. Then it gradually gets warmer during spring. But, even during winter, flowers still manage to bloom. My pink hibiscus bloom daily next to my mail box, a joy to see, really.
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I’m sure the weather must be nice and warm all year in Hawaii.
I went to Guam in late February / early March a few years ago…it was cold in Tokyo—but very hot there in Guam.
Actually, though, I enjoy having four very distinct seasons here in Japan.
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Right now there are no flowers in bloom over here, it’s still too cold. But all the snow is melting and that’s a sign of the coming of spring, isn’t it? 🙂
My grandmother always said spring is there when she saw the crocuses, snowdrops and lilies-of-the-valley in bloom on our lawn. Really a beautiful sight and it usually happens around easter. 🙂
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Does it snow alot in Germany?
And, sorry, I can’t remember when Easter is…is it early April?
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This winter it snowed a lot in the area where I live, but it’s not always like this. Usually it snows a lot in the southern parts of Germanyn and not so much in the north-western parts.
>>And, sorry, I can’t remember when Easter is…is it early April?
The date differs, has something to do with the moon (don’t know what exactly, something like the first sunday after the first fullmoon in spring)… However, it can be as early as 03/22 or as late as 04/24. This year it’s the 4th of April.
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So do you live in northern or southern Germany?
And is Easter a big holiday there?
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I live in north Germany. In all of Germany we celebrate easter. It’s by far not as big as christmas, but it brings most of the families together once again 😉
By the way, the two weeks of spring break for students in Germany are set so that easter is in the middle of the break.
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In Japan, New Years is the biggest holiday.
Why does it snow more in southern Germany than northern? Since Germany is in the Earth’s northern hemisphere, that seems backwards.
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That has something to do with the maritime climate in northern Germany I guess. We have the baltic sea/north sea up there so it’s rather mild. And, on top of that, northern Germany is flat like a table, whereas we have a lot of mountains in the southern part (Alps, Harz, Black Forest etc).
look here 🙂
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Interesting.
So I guess most Germans live in northern Germany…is that right?
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hm… haven’t really thought about that. Maybe you have heard about the agglomeration “Ruhrgebiet” in western Germany. It has a bit more than 5 million inhabitants… We have a few other relatively big cities spread around in the country, like Berlin (east), Munich(south) or Hamburg(north). Other than that I think it’s evenly distributed… Especially the western and perhaps the southern parts are a bit more populated. Eastern Germany went pretty much down the gutter after the reunification, except for Berlin. The northern part is something in between 😉
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>Maybe you have heard about the agglomeration “Ruhrgebiet” in western Germany.
Sorry. I have no idea what that is.
>Eastern Germany went pretty much down the gutter after the reunification
Which, by the way, happened not too long before I came to Japan twenty years ago.
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