(1) The first bits:

Its that time of year again. The cherry trees lining the banks of Okazaki's many rivers are bursting into color with gazillions of little white and pink blossoms. As a general rule, the more said about "sakura" the better, alas, not today. Apart from being beautiful, and apart from being a fantastic excuse to drink a lot of beer and eat a lot of sushi and other delectables at hanami parties, it is important to remember some of the other aspects. The flowers only last 10-14 days, even less if it rains, and when we watch thousands of petals fall like snow to the ground whenever the breezes blow it is hard not to think of transition. The sakura is not Japan's national flower (thats the kiku, chrysanthemum), nor is it Okazaki's (thats the fuji, wisteria), but it is certainly the most loved here in Okazaki.

The hanami parties are more than just a celebration of spring, but a time of farewell and beginnings. The school year, the corporate year, the seasonal year all begin at the same time as we watch the little flowers. For many it is a time to say farewell, at the same time it is inevitably an occasion of renewal. This is very much the case at Yamasa this year too. Many of our AIJP and AJSP students have completed their courses and are off to use their Japanese in the real world. Good luck to you all! Likewise for some faculty members, the end of the winter quarter last week also brought an end to their days teaching here in Okazaki. Several of our long standing faculty are heading back to graduate school, or to overseas teaching and study, or to senior positions in schools and institutes elsewhere. And for so many the journey takes them to the corners of the world. We wish you all the best. In the international office, I've sadly had to say goodbye to Jon Walden, who after 3 years of hard and creative work as Admissions Coordinator is returning to England and new adventures. All the best Jon! Keep in touch.

Apart from goodbyes, when we look at our sakura flowers blooming on the campus we also turn to the opportunities ahead. The new Academic year also brings to Okazaki some gifted and exciting new teachers and instructors, we will be meeting some of them in future editions of the newsletter. The next 5 years at Yamasa will see a massive transformation of Yamasa and its campus, with the Hattori Foundation investing heavily in several new buildings and facilities, and elite training programs. Its going to be a tremendous challenge, but the result will be a specialist language training center of a level never seen before in Japan, and arguably never anywhere else either. Details will gradually trickle out through this newsletter during the next 24-36 months, so stay tuned please.

St Patrick's Day Parade: Okazaki's first annual celebration of the Irish festival started spectacularly with the Guinness breakfast in the student bar on March 17th. Maybe we should open the bar for breakfast more often. It is amazing how many perennial sleepyheads were able to get out of bed, enjoy their bacon, sausages, eggs, toast etc (eaten with traditional Irish chopsticks naturally) and a lovely pint of Guinness or Murphy's before punctually heading off to their first class of the day at 9am. Several teachers remarked at the considerable improvement in conversational skills amongst some of the previously less confident. Hmmm. Makes me wonder...

(b) Things to do:

Part time Samurai

Ieyasu Parade: On Sunday April 4th, by far the biggest event at this time of year in Okazaki comes around again, and you have an opportunity to be part of the action. The Okazaki International Association (OIA) is looking for people to take part in the parade from 1:30pm on April 4th. Participation is free and Okazaki City Hall will provide traditional clothing and costumes free of charge. To apply, please contact the OIA office at: (0564) 23-6644 or email mailto:oia@m2.catvmics.ne.jp

This is a huge samurai parade with hundreds of participants dressed in clothing and armor from Sengoku Jidai ("Period of the Warring States"). The parade will begin from Iga-Hachiman shrine, make it's way past Higashi Okazaki station, and finally finish on the banks of the Otogawa river where a mock battle will take place.

Hanami Parties: Meet some people, see some flowers, drink some beer (or whatever)

1) The volunteer group "Cross Culture Circle" has invited all Yamasa students (including new arrivals for April) to attend an informal hanami party on Saturday April 3rd. It will start at 11am (rain or shine). The group is meeting at the Iga Hachimangu Shrine - a beautiful heritage listed shrine worth a look at anytime - to get there take the Meitetsu bus from terminal #5 at Higashi Okazaki station to the bus stop called "Iga-Hachimangu-mae". The plan is to stroll along the Iga river, a small but intensely beautiful river meandering down to the castle. This river flows through some of the historic neighbourhoods of the town, so bring a camera! Cost is free, just bring your own food and drink. If you are settling in for the long hall, please note that the cherry trees will be illuminated at night, and a festival will be held each night in the grounds of the castle.

2) For those who were unable to join us at Iga Hachimangu on the 3rd, don't worry. As part of the welcoming of new students, on Tuesday April 6th a hanami party/barbecue will be held under the sakura trees on the Yamasa campus, in front of our radio station studio (on the Fuji Hall side, look for the Electrolux sign) from 4pm until we run out of beer and things to bbq, after which we will move to the bar for happy hour. As we will need to know how much beer, meat, salads etc will be needed for the event, please book by 5pm on Monday - you can pay at the International office. Cost is 1500 yen for all you can eat and including a drink. Additional beers and juice/soft drinks will be only 200 yen each.

Free Origami Classes! On the first Friday of the month the Okazaki International Association also holds free origami (paper folding) classes in Aoi Hall at Yamasa from 3:30pm.

Free Japanese Classes! Okazaki International Association holds free Japanese lessons taught by volunteers to non-Japanese living in Okazaki. Every Saturday from 2:30pm to 4:30pm at Tatsumigaoka-kaikan (3rd Floor), a 10 minute walk from Higashi Okazaki Station to Higashi Myodaiji cho. And also every 2nd, 3rd and 4th Thursday and Sunday of the month in Aoi Hall at Yamasa from 10:00am - 12:00am. Call 0564-45-5778 for more details, or email yoshiaki_yamamoto@hotmail.com

Changes to the student bar: The bar opened as a pilot project on October 10th and has been fairly successful, particularly in helping new students meet friends, obtain information informally, and provide a social venue. From April it becomes a permanent fixture. From Mondays to Wednesdays the bar will operate as a cafe from 11:30am to 5.00pm, providing lunches and an afternoon menu. Feel free to hang out, do homework, unwind etc. On Thursdays it will operate as a cafe from 11.30am to 4.00pm, and as a bar from 4.00pm to 9.30pm. On Fridays the operating hours are from 11.30am to "very late". On Saturdays from 6.30pm to "extremely late".

(c) Other bits:

• Make money by writing articles for the newsletter. See the contributions page for details.
• Find a course: see the program catalog.
• Contact Admissions if you have any questions.
• See below for information regarding course deadlines.

The Editor
Yamasa News
The Yamasa Institute - Aichi Center for Japanese Studies
1-2-1 Hanehigashimachi Okazaki
Aichi Japan 444-0832

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2. Course Information

Accommodation

If you are coming to Okazaki during the next few months, please visit the housing availability site, which has been upgraded.

Message from Yukiko Iijima (Housing Officer): Please also note that it is extremely important that you rank your accommodation preferences clearly. Upgrades are possible in the event of cancellations - so if your first preference is a single room in the village, select "Village single" as first choice, "Residence U" as your second choice and so on.

Long-term Courses:

Student Visa: Applications for the April 2004 have closed and we are now accepting application for the next start date - October 2004. Please note that we will take into account a number of factors when considering a student visa application including age, academic background, nationality and so on - automatic acceptance of a student visa application is not guaranteed. If you need more information about dates, please check the deadlines for the student visa listed in each course in the program catalogue. If you wish to apply for the October 2004 start please contact Admissions. The deadline for completed applications is June 20th 2004.

Short-term courses:

Tour destinations: The May 14th Discovery Tour visits a variety of destinations including Kasuga Taisha, Todaiji, the Isuien Garden & the Neiraku Museum, Hikone Castle, Lake Biwa, Iga-Ueno, Ueno Castle, Okutono Jinya, Toyota Motor, Asuke village with its thatched houses and craft based cottage industries set in a picturesque gorge and many other destinations. See http://www.yamasa.org/acjs/english/programs/discovery_20040514a.html for more information.