New Green Day

     Clouds of cherry blossoms exploded over Minato-ku all week, dropping a trail of petals on picnickers bundled up in coats and huddling under umbrellas in parks or under a lone tree in the Juban playground. Girly sakura trees are fluffy confections dangling on chocolate colored limbs without the distraction of leaves. During the first week of April they take center stage, while all other types of trees politely hold back. Wedding photographers posed young couples against the natural confetti backdrop in the mid-afternoon. Finally, this week leafy trees are making their debut on the street scene, echoed in the wardrobe of passers-by featuring lots of shin ryoku (new green) to greet this season. Is it possible that the newspaper publishes a recommended color of the day? Or in this homogeneous country does everyone know that green is right for them now, I wonder.

    Three-fifths of the ladies around the table for English Conversation arrived in new green (think wasabi) beneath white trench coats, the other must-have for spring 2010.  The obaasan (grandmother) confided that much to her chagrin her next grandchild, due next week, will be another boy in a series. Her news prompted a discussion of the vocabulary of childbirth ("labor," "contractions," "delivery") and the revelation that natural childbirth is the norm for nihonjin: No pain killers, no epidural! (The one obstetrician in town who offers these modern services is swamped with Western clients.) Next, Obaasan  wondered if her youngest grandson has an oral fetchi (fetish) since he likes to suck his thumb. Fetchi is a hot new word borrowed from English as in: "Many women are considered to have a shoe fetchi." Compare and contrast "fetish" to "obsession" to "shopaholic." At this point feng shui mom, (remember, the one who moved her son's bed to an auspicious position to get him to return to university) blurted out: "My son dropped out of the pharmacy program and returned from Australia!"  Another bed adjustment is in the offing for the sensitive lad.

     Before saying sayonara,  I observed that composer-san looked a bit weary. Yes, many engagements, mainly playing at the opening ceremonies of school since the academic year begins in April. That evening she would play a concert of mimikuree.  Who? All of us were stumped: Is that the name of a composer? No, no! Was this a reference to the ear (mimi)? No, again! Mimikuree, the sounds of a bird, or an animal, as created by a musical instrument. Finally, as often happens when Japanese borrow words from English, the penny dropped: mimicry. Hai, hai!  Smiles all around as everyone in new green buttoned up trench coats and stepped out into the gray afternoon.