Enjoy and smell the roses!

The straight-no-work-5-day break which started last September 19 till September 23 will surely be missed by both the Japanese and the foreigners.

Unlike in the Philippines, the so-called red days marked in the calendar to indicate special days in Japan are not as plentiful. Although employment here is not as stable as in the past, due to global crisis, Japan still has a very high employment to boast of. The Japanese also show a very high regard and dignity for labor and are noted for being very industrious, to the point of being labeled as workaholics.

Hence, you can imagine how much they treasure holidays by the label they attach to precious break periods. Their longest break is called "Golden Week"- a whole week of rest and break from school and work. The next longest break is the "Silver Week"- with five precious days to spend away from work and school again.

What do they do during these precious break periods? The airports are brimming with families ready to fly to their choice country of destination. The highways and roads are also congested with those who wish to travel for family reunions, visitations, or for sightseeing. The shopping malls, hotels and restaurants as well are happy with long breaks that find more customers and clients. There are others prefer to stay home and get plenty of much-needed rest and time for oneself and for the family. Of course, there are those who cannot say no to their work assignment and still find themselves at work during the long "oyasumi" ( rest/break).

We were among those who joined those who visited the Flower Park in Ibaraki Prefecture - with those who literally stopped whatever they were doing to enjoy the natural view from the hill planted to thousands of plants and flowers. Although we enjoyed going through the whole park, with their rich display of plants and other flowers, we were among those who spent time or rather stopped and pause to enjoy and smell the roses!

It was not our first time to the flower park. It was not our first time to know that roses have various colors - various shades of pink, red, yellow.There was this interesting section, however, for the so-called aoi bara (blue roses)! There were no blue roses then (although we have seen tv programs of various experiments being made to produce a blue rose). We did see light violet-colored roses and other experimental species recognizable because of their combined colors (yellow, red, orange) or sizes or even by their petals - there were single-petal roses compared to the multi-petal roses that we are all used to seeing.

There were roses from all over the world with their varied shapes, colors, and fragrance. We know that roses are not only beautiful but fragrant but these attributes vary depending on the type, the color, size of the roses. It was a big thrill to smell spice-smelling roses, or the so-called Damascus compared to the so-called simple fragrance that we take so much for granted as the rose smell!

If you can imagine how thrilled, happy, content, peaceful, blessed we felt as we were moving from one rose to the other ( with the bees, the butterflies, the dragonflies and other insects whose names are unfamiliar to us), we imagined how much joy must be experienced by the botanist and those passionate about the study and knowledge not only of roses but of other plants like the various herbs grouped together in one portion of the hill, or the huge dahlias in full bloom, or the greenhouse where the tropical plants which we commonly see in our midst - banana, palmera, gumamela etc) - and those from other areas of the world blessed with so much sun!

There was just so much to savor and fill one's senses, one's mind, and one's heart from a simple short visit to the flower park. So much to learn and to enjoy just by taking time to once again notice and really "see" nature, the hills, the mountains from a distance and enjoy at close range, the spectrum of sizes, colors, and fragrance of various flowers, and our favorite, the beautiful roses. With so much of these natural treasures as well in our country, is it too much to dream and pray for our people to enjoy a flower park soon in their midst?

Until then, however, you may wish to enjoy a different type of cultural experience this Saturday, September 26 from 7pm at the Ayala Center Cinema 1. The Consular Office of Japan in Cebu, together with the Japan Foundation will present a unique traditional Japanese performance art called English Rakugo (a Japanese Sit-Down Comedy in English). Admission is free! Enjoy!

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