Where's spring?

Cherry blossoms were already out in Hiroshima/Osaka/Kyoto/Tokyo two weeks ago but it's currently snowing in Towada.

For the most part I'm thrilled to be living in Aomori Prefecture (and Towada in particular) but I do wish right now that spring would hurry up and make an appearance!

It sucks that I had to put on a winter jacket to go shopping for spring clothes at Uniqlo today. (I really want to be able to start wearing some of my more recent purchases!)

As I mentioned in a recent post, next weekend (Apr. 24-25) is Towada's Yosakoi Yume Matsuri and Sakura Yabusame--i.e. horseback archery under cherry blossoms. But as things stand right now, I'm pretty sure the sakura won't be out in time for the festival. (I also feel sorry for the Yosakoi dancers--they're probably going to be freezing dancing out in the streets!)

On the bright side, though, the sakura blooming later this year increases the chances that they'll still be really nice during Golden Week. (Usually they're on their last legs at the beginning of May.)

Since I don't have any particular plans (apart from covering all of the Towada eikaiwa classes while everyone else is on vacation) for GW, I was thinking I'd try to get down to Hirosaki for hanami (cherry blossom viewing). The last time I went was two year ago when my parents and Brenda and Cecilia came--and unfortunately it was raining that day (although it was still really pretty).