Hello everyone!  It’s me, Akie. Sure hope you are all feeling great, very genki. You know, spring is here, and there is nowhere else in the whole world I’d rather want to be than here in Akita.  Wow, I can’t believe when we first met I was  still all wrapped up in my warm winter clothes…

Actually though, the past few weeks I’ve been hanging out in onsens with my pal, Akiko (except for last week; I was in a bunker “ducking” from North Korea’s missile launch fired over us) wearing practically nothing, so I guess I haven’t exactly been wrapped up. Hopefully you get the picture. It was really really cold! Well, anyway now that spring is here you can see that I’m ready to enjoy all the fun that comes with this season.

I wasn’t fully prepared though, so I had to go out shopping for some new spring outfits.   So, how do you like my new shirt and short pants set?  Cute, huh? Kawaii ne?  Anyway, I love shopping so it was a good time to go.  Nothing like the change of seasons as a perfect reason to go shopping I always say.  Also, new clothes will make a girl feel great, inside and out. Also, as spring starts to come into full bloom check out the lovely wild flowers that will cover Akita shortly.

Behind me are what we call Nanohana.  There are fields and fields of them in Ogata Village. It is a small rural place an hour or so, by car, northwest of Akita City towards the peninsula. These tiny yellow flowers signal the rebirth of the spring season, and the coming of the beautiful Cherry Blossoms.  I can’t wait for the Cherry Blossom season.  Akita, along with the rest of this area, will all go crazy!  It’s great!!! I love this time of year, don’t you?  Even though Akita has a reputation for really harsh cold long winters, it is also a place of wonderful springs, with awesome natural beauty that makes everyone feel lucky to be alive here.

This feeling of new life allows us Akita Bijin to look beautiful, and more importantly- FEEL beautiful! So, spring comes a little later to us in Akita than in the southern parts of Japan, but I can certainly say, it is always worth the wait.  So, I’ll see you next time with a new outfit, maybe more friends, and definitely some more good stuff about Akita, it’s sights, and especially it’s bijin.  Until then please enjoy the glorious spring weather. You know I will! Mata ne. akie-akitabijin.blogspot.com