Monday, March 26, 2012

Spring Break is Over - Let the Hanshin Goods Begin!


Some might argue that the taste of spring in Japan is ume (plum) or sakura (cherry). VAOJ begs to differ with these stereotypes, at least for the year 2012. This year the taste of spring is a light cheese paste sucked out of a plastic tube emblazoned with the Hanshin Tigers logo. I found this at my local supermarket yesterday and took it as a good sign. Hanshin fans are concerned this year about our local team due to a new manager and aging/injured players. But the early release of the cheese (undoubtedly to be followed by a plethora of other Hanshin-ized products) combined with the Tigers' defeat of the visiting Seattle Mariners during an exhibition game yesterday bring warmth to our hearts despite the continuing cold temperatures outside. This warmth is especially welcome for me after spending spring break in Japan's 48th prefecture and tropical paradise, Hawaii (look for "Japanese" Hawaii pics on this blog in the next few days). Visual Anthropology students are well into their blogs (see links to the left below) and JSL Study Group members are signing better than Obama. Once midterm exams are done and the cherry blossoms are here, things will only get better. Enjoy Spring!

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