WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.

Happy 春分の日 (shunbun no hi) or Spring Equinox Day!  Like as with the autumnal equinox, on this occasion the day and the night should be of equal length.  The mere mention of spring makes me feel like I should be seeing flowers popping their heads out of the ground.  Unfortunately, here in Michigan where I’m translating at a local law firm there is no sign of greenery, although the snow flurries we had all day yesterday were quite a sight!  I heard we’re getting much better weather back home in NYC, and all I can say is I’m jealous…

In Japan spring seems to have sprung, as I have gotten reports of the sakura beginning to bloom around the Imperial Palace.  I also just received an email from my former co-worker at the Kumamoto International Center who was kind enough to send pictures of the sakura down south (you can see Kumamoto Castle in the background).  Enjoy and happy spring!