March has nearly arrived which means soon, spring will be here.
Spring is the season of entrance and graduation ceremonies, of encounters and farewells.
Students must once again spend these important seasons wearing masks!
Mask Situation
However, masks are apparently optional from March 13th.
Stores can still choose whether or not they want their customers to wear a mask inside.
But allergies are also about to be an issue. 20% to 30% of Japanese people suffer from hay fever. There’s a whole variety of plants that cause allergies in the season. pollen allergy
My husband is looking forward to taking off his mask, too, or rather, he usually takes it off outside, but he can never take it off in March.
My husband is looking forward to taking off his mask, and he normally takes it outside already, but come March, even with the rule changes, he’ll probably need to wear it inside and outside like most people. The pollen here is no joke.
In other words, it is expected that it will be around Golden Week in May, when corona has been downgraded to a Class 5 illness, and the pollen hell has ended, that people will actually start removing their masks.
But as much as I hate pollen, it means that flowers are blooming. Spring is the season for flower viewing.
Sakura (Cherry Blossum)
If you’re hoping to maybe see the Sakura in March, you should check out my video just on that.
Unfortunately, in many areas in most of march, it will be difficult to see cherry blossoms in full bloom. But there is good news. Kawazu-zakura, an early blooming cherry blossom, is at its best from late February to mid-March. You can check this out in Shizuoka, which is a great day trip from tokyo. These Sakura are extra pink in color and last longer than most cherry blossoms due to the warm coastal climate in shizuoka.
Check “kawazu cherry blossom” on the internet.
Ume (Plum Blossums)
But March is the season for my favorite flower, the one which often gets overlooked. It’s ume, or plum blossoms.
Until the rise of cherry blossoms, plum blossoms were actually the most popular flower in Japan. I love ume for their rich color and the sweet smell they have.
Stunningly beautiful ume trees are planted in many shrines and temples. In the Kansai region, ume blossoms are at their best until mid-March.
My recommended spot to enjoy them is at, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto, which is famous for its blossoms that are illuminated at night. If you’re in the area during march, you have to visit this magical place.
And maybe you’re planning to visit Nara? Besides the amazing plum blossoms in March, there’s another cool thing you shouldn’t miss.
Shuni-e
At Todaiji Temple in Nara, a ceremony called Shunie is held from March 1 to 14, where you can witness the fantastic sight of large torches being lit. The monks hold the large torches up and the falling embers are said to bestow the crowd with a safe year. Unfortunately, the biggest “Omizutori” ceremony held on the 11th and 12th(title) is closed to the public this year, but the powerful torches alone are worth the visit. Note that you should arrive early as its often first come first serve. Start time is 7pm and the whole thing lasts about 20 minutes.
It’s worth checking out this tradition that has continued for more than 1,250 years.
Canola Flower
Another flower to enjoy in march is the nanohana, or canola flower.(title)
This bright yellow flower is very picturesque, and there’s a few places across Japan where you can see large sunny fields of it.
The best time to see them varies from region to region, but in most places they are at their best from mid-March to mid-April.
Soleil Hill
This park in Yokosuka Kanagawa, office a chance to see as far as from mid-December to late March.
The feature is Mount Fuji in the background.
They even serve this delicious looking curry to show Fuji surrounded by the bright flowers. flower lovers and foodies alike will be satisfied.
And If you are lucky, you may be able to enjoy the pink and yellow contrast of cherry blossoms and canola blossoms blooming at the same time.
Skiing
Do you suki skiing?
I don’t, but I do suki beautiful snowy mountains and a nice hot beverage.
March is a great time to ski, or maybe even the best time to ski.
Be sure to look up ski resorts in your area, but here are two of my recommendations.
Niseko
this ski town has a lot of international visitors, making it easy to get around, and with trails for all abilities.
Happou o-ne
And Happo o-ne, which is fairly internation but has great accommodations, food, and nightlife, both likely to continue running until the beginning of May
Sumo
If you come to Japan, you must see Sumo.
The sight of two 300+lb muscular giants colliding into each other goes back to Japanese antiquity, and may have been part of a ritual dance held for a good harvest.
Nowadays, it’s Japan’s national sport, and several tournaments are held through out the yea
The March tournament will be held in Osaka.
Unfortunately, VIP seats are almost sold out, but you can still buy tickets on the day of the event当日券. Get in line as early in the morning as possible to get tickets to watch sumo. We actually bought ours too at the conbini and it’ll be my first time seeing sumo live.
If you arrive early and get a same-day ticket, you can enjoy the center of Osaka and then come back around 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. So-called “professional” rank rikishi番付 will perform their bouts in order from lower to higher ranks. It’s a long day, but you can enjoy a box lunch and browse through the unique sumo merchandise while you’re there, so you won’t get bored!
Baseball
Japanese National Baseball
The 2023
Japan loves baseball, and is probably the only country that is really excited about it, but it is sure to be a festive event. If you are interested, why don’t you stop by a sports bar and have some fun for the event? Oh, and shohei ohtani is coming back to Japan to play for his country. I won’t be missing that.
White Day
White Day is on march 14th.
You may have given flowers to your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, but this is Japan.
Here, men traditionally receive gifts on valentine’s day. Then they return the favor with gifts on white day.
Originally, cookies and other sweets were the standard, but these days, anything goes. Accessories, home appliances, fashionable accessories, and anything else that you think your partner would enjoy.
Couples like to go out to eat on this day so maybe make a reservation for you and your person.
USJ
Conan, Spy Family, NOLIMIT Parade
next, just recently in February, new stuff opened at USJ in japan. You may think oh I’ve seen everything at universal in america. You’re wrong! Here in Japan we have a special Mario park, as well as the new detective xonan, spy family, and monster hunter areas. They also still have a jujutsu kaisen 4d ride if that’s ur thing. I’m a huge detective Conan fan so I can’t wait to go enkoy the park. Even though everything is in Japanese, it’s still easy to get around and have fun at USJ. Just come to osaka and buy your tickets– they’re much cheaper than America antways.
Ichiban Kuji Lottery
Finally, you should play the lottery this march in Japan.
Whene you visit a convenience store in Japan, you may see a lottery like this.
These are called Ichiban Kuji Lotteries and are basically raffles for anime figures and goods.
Each raffle ticket costs about 500 to 800 yen, and there are said to be 60 to 80 raffles in each campaign.
These are limited items only available at that time, and very popular anime goods are often up to win.
If there is a figure you really want, why not take a chance? The yen is currently weak d, even if you buy all the raffle items, it won’t exceed $600. You could even split it with your buddies! Here’s the lineup for March!
- Hero Academia 3/10
- One Piece 3/18
- Blue Lock 3/25
Hero Academia is getting into the swing of things as the new season is airing. The cool Deku figure is the last one prize, which is given to anyone who draws the last raffle ticket.
