桜が咲いた！

I had a text at work on Friday from Oli telling me that it's a year since I last posted an entry. It's been a weird year too: I couldn't talk about work for confidentiality reasons to the point where saying anything became such a moral dilemma that it was best to avoid it entirely, and there was a lot in my personal life that I didn't want to share.

But the text message made me think, what would it be like to post again? I wasn't even sure I remembered my password. For something that used to be second nature to me, to the point where I was already imagining titles for the blog posts as I was experiencing the event in question, I was worried that I had forgotten how to use the software.

Just tidying up the blog and typing this much feels like I've made a snip in the time continuum and sewn it up to the day after I last posted; it's still that familiar to me. And maybe it's because I've got something to write about.

I've been back in England for nearly two years now and not a day goes by where: a) I don't miss Japan, b) random memories or images of places or thoughts of Japan don't enter my head and, most importantly, c) I don't wish I was here instead. As much as I've appreciated the job, the experiences and career opportunities it's offered me, it's always been about career progression with a view to the future.

There's something big coming up in the near future that will dictate much of the next few years and it's not something I want to get into in so much detail for fear of it not coming into fruition. It's a 'fingers crossed' thing. If 'it' happens, it means I can spend two to three weeks this summer in Japan.

I'm sure I can be just as vague on any future posts, if that helps!

Recently, the skies have been blue without a cloud in sight, and I've spent the majority of my weekends walking around Holland Park and lazying in Hyde Park. It's been bliss.

When I first arrived in Japan, I had no idea about cherry-blossom season or how important an annual event it was. My first week was the height of the viewing season when the flowers were in full-bloom and it was a rush to get to see them. I did but the weather turned and it was cut short. Luckily, the next two years I was there were lengthy and allowed for plenty of 'hanami' (cherry-blossom viewing parties) opportunities. Last year, when I was back in England I missed another good year. However, this year I've heard the weather wasn't so good in Japan and, in fact, we've been luckier with the weather and the flowers. Here are a few of the photos I've taken over the past two weekends (the tenth and penultimate are my favourites):

Since Oli clearly still checks my blog just in case I've updated it (or he has an excellent memory!) I think I'll wait to see if anyone notices and comments on it.