"Seimei"
Time of year when living things shine bright and vibrant.

- I look forward to this every year.
- They're amazing.

How old is that tree?

We planted it when our daughter
started elementary school.

It's been there for nearly 40 years.

"Seimei"
Time to enjoy cherry blossoms

Look at the petals flying away!

Wow! Beautiful!

This was a fun "hanami" (cherry viewing).
Thank you!

We're going to pick something else
on our way home.

Here's some.

- Take these, Matchan.
- Will do!

- The leaves are white on the underside.
- Yes, they are.

It's spring, which means time for
"yomogi"-mochi rice cakes!

We can use "yomogi" to make
all sorts of things.

- The slim ones, too?
- Let's gather it all.

We're having a festival to
celebrate Buddha's birthday.

April is the season of flowers.
So we're making a small flower temple.

This is a figure of the Buddha at birth.
It's cute, isn't it?

It looks like it's dancing.
This festival is its debut.

So cute!

- How does it look?
- Good! I can see it clearly.

I can't wait for the festival!

This place will be so lively tomorrow!

For the rice cakes,
we just chop up the "yomogi?"

That's right.

- Let's add the "yomogi."
- That's a lot!

This rice cake maker
has a lot of work to do.

- It shouldn't be watery, right?
- That's right.

It looks delicious.

I can't wait to taste it.

- Did you make sweets with your mother?
- Yes, I did.

- We made this, of course.
- This was standard?

Spring is the time for "yomogi"-mochi.

They don't look like sweets.

They look like fried dumplings.

"Yomogi"-filled dumplings.

My mother used seasonal greens like
butterbur shoots and perilla leaves.

She used "yomogi" if it was available.
She always made "oyaki" snacks.

Nicely browned.

Flower Festival

Thanks for all the flowers.
White roses and carnations.

Where should we put them?

Can you put them in that one?

- Who is this?
- This? You don't know?

This is the Buddha as a child.

We hold the Flower Festival to
celebrate the Buddha's birthday.

We use flowers as decorations.

Say, "Happy Birthday!"

Happy Birthday!
Let's pour "amacha" to celebrate.

- What's "amacha?"
- It's sweet tea.

The sweets in my left hand
are called "karasumi."

The green ones are "yomogi"-flavored.

Let's eat them together.

There's sweet bean paste inside.

- Thank you.
- Enjoy.

"Kokuu"
Time of year when spring rain moistens grains.

The head nun's garden is
full of flowers.

Junko is calling for you.

Hello, Junko.

Thanks as always.

Are they out already?
That's great!

The weather is nice.
Will you dig them up now?

I see. I'll send the youngsters.

- I'm looking forward to it.
- Eat your breakfast and go!

Look!

- They're sticking out.
- Amazing!

- So big.
- Incredible!

Wow, they're huge.

Search for them like this.

Shuffle, shuffle.

Digging up "takenoko"
(bamboo shoots).

I found one with my feet, Junko!
I'm so happy.

- Here! It touched my feet.
- You found a small one!

Look, Jito-san! Be happy for me!
Oh, she's busy digging up another one.

‐ How do you dig up such a small one?
‐ It only looks small.

Dig a little, and you see
the thick part underground.

- Is it out?
- I heard it break.

- It's a little damaged.
- It's pretty on this side. It smells good.

It's out, but not the whole thing.

Matchan, you pulled it!

Put this back in, Matchan.

- You pulled it, right?
- Yes, I did.

Let's hide the rest!

We should boil them right away.

People say to boil the water first,
then dig up the bamboo shoots.

- Let's cool it down a little.
- The bucket is small.

I think it's cooled enough.

- That looks good.
- It's hot.

It looks delicious.

- That's pretty.
- I'll cut this into big pieces.

Just slice it and eat it with
soy sauce and wasabi.

The soft inner skin at the top
of the shoot is also tasty.

- Wow, they look like candy.
- They seem soft.

I want a bite.

I love shoots mixed with "sansho" leaves.
And miso, too. They go well together.

- I'm so hungry.
- Me, too!

It's been a while
since we started digging.

Let's eat!
I'll try a slice without soy sauce.

- It's not bitter at all.
- I can taste the wasabi.

Delicious spring is in full bloom.