2026 Cherry Blossom Viewing Party

Last Sunday, NEO had its annual cherry blossom viewing party along the Asahi River.

Dave-sensei went there at 6:30am to put down the groundsheet and save a space for the party.

It rained all day Saturday, so the ground was a little wet, but Sunday was a hot and sunny day, so it wasn’t a problem.

It was very crowded along the river on Sunday because the weather was good and many people changed their plans from Saturday to Sunday.

The party was from 11:30am until around 7:00pm.

Many people came and went at different times all day long.

We were able to see some former NEO students as well.

One student is now living in Australia but was back in Okayama to visit her family.

Other than NEO students and staff, there were a lot of the staff’s friends at the party.

There were also a lot of friends of friends there, so it was an excellent chance to meet new and interesting people.

Of course, a lot of Japanese people were enjoying the flowers and the weather, but there were also people from all around the world.

We talked to people from Chile, Columbia, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.