By Kathryn (O’Donnell) Harbali
Many associate the arrival of spring in Hiroshima with the blooming of the cherry blossoms and the sweet sound of birds. I, however, have another way to determine that spring is on its way.
In March, even before the buds begin to open, there is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. When I step into the shower in the morning and see a small, slimy, black creature slowly slither across the shower room floor, I know that spring can’t be far off. As I wash the first, helpless harbinger of spring down the drain, I smile, even though slugs are disgusting, because warmer weather and sunshine will soon be here. After this defining moment, I can soon expect the cherry tree to bloom beautifully in pink splendor.
Springtime is in full swing, in my mind, when at last my slipper comes off or a newspaper is rolled up and … SPLAT! … the first cockroach of the season is squashed. Ah! … springtime in Japan! It is the time of year I revert back to reciting that seasonal prayer of mine: ‘Allah, please don’t let me find slugs in the shower or cockroaches in the kitchen. Amen.?
For many, it is the cherry blossoms that symbolize springtime in Japan. But, alas, for me it is the slug that signals the start of spring and the cockroach that spring is here to stay.
Kathryn Harbali is a 1983 graduate of Oxford High School and has resided in Hiroshima, Japan for four years with her husband, Mouin, with their five children. She sent this essay on Spring in Japan to her family in Oxford, and they wanted to share it with the community. The Harbali family will be moving back to Michigan permanently this summer.