French Connections

Bonjour!

Welcome to April! Although the French school year starts in September, in Japan, everything from school, university and even jobs begins in beautiful April. This is the month of renewal, and nothing says ‘new’ better than the tender petals of the cherry blossom.

If you’re a newcomer to Japan, don’t expect to be invited for an egg-hunting game to celebrate Easter. Instead, you’ll be attending huge picnic gatherings with hundreds of people, drinking and eating on blue plastic tarpaulins. Everybody loves to hanami, mon ami! But gentlemen, don’t forget that the tradition is to gather under cherry blossom trees to watch the moon in a romantic way. So let’s kampai together to celebrate hanami at some french events in Kansai:

• KOBE: French meeting at Café de Paris in Kitano. Friday April 19 from 7:30pm.
• OSAKA: Don’t miss tasting French products at the French fair, held at Hankyu department store in Umeda during the first week of April.
• Monthly FRANCE KANSAI meeting at Umeda (check FRANCE KANSAI facebook for exact date: www.facebook.com/francekansai)
• KYOTO: Hanami francophone at Insitut Franco Japonais, April 7.
• French Afterwork party on April 19 at Kawa café from
7:30pm. If you prefer to stay at home, don’t forget to check your new episode of the French-Japanese web drama PARIS ALEAS on www.clubantoinette.com