Unique Japan

There is something very special about the Japanese Sakura.  Coming from Montreal, I liken it to our yearly Jazz Festival.  It’s a spectacle.  A two-week long performance that hits the streets with impeccable timing.  It seems to roll in just in time, giving the country a much-deserved boost of energy and joy.
And unlike ever before Japan could sure use something to cheer about.

In the 15 years I have been living and working in Japan, never have I see such doom and gloom.  Interestingly enough, from the moment I first touched down in Tokyo in the fall of 1993, people complained about the poor economy.   Of course, then, the country was still dizzy from the bursting of the 80’s bubble.  But in hindsight, you could still feel the personal drive, that amazing spirit that consumes Japanese people from the moment they awake.

Nowadays, an uncomfortable feeling of apathy, of confusion, of bewilderment seems to be present in the air.  It’s drastically different from what I know it to be.  I don’t like it.  It’s a feeling like you get when one of your best friends is just not acting like himself.

As it happens, my wife and I are about to bring a second child into this world.  Our due date is in early May.  We decided, as we did with our first, Hannah, to have the baby in the UK, where Donna is from.   Being near family makes life a whole lot easier as any new parent will surely tell you.

Like the Sakura, the timing appears to be perfect.   For us, our concentration will be on joyous new beginnings. I hope that the Sakura inspires the same for the people of Japan.

Pablo