A word from the editor
And so it begins. . . Plants once dead, now burst with life. Animals, no longer in hiding, come out once again. The scene has changed in Akita and with it a fresh sense of adventure is in the air. Spring has come. Unfortunately, this year, like last, we are unable to explore and sojourn as freely as we would like to. All those spring train trips to Tokyo, boat rides to Hokkaido and even a night-out in Akita city have all been put on hold. No, spring is no ordinary spring for us this year. Perhaps the weather and habits of nature remain the same, but for us, we remain waiting patiently. I have now been relying on the various things in my general location to keep me going as well as the ever reliable and distracting internet. In this edition we hope to show you just a little bit of what some ALTs have been doing in these risky times. It may not be safe to attend large social gatherings or visit crowded places, but with the nature that Akita and Tohoku provide we are still able to sneak out on the weekend to enjoy the good weather, sensibly. I wait for the days where we can once again travel freely and meet new people without any fear of catching the virus. It can be easy to feel down in these times, especially not being able to visit home, but I hope that it will be all worth the wait. This has been a long-forced break from many things and I believe that when we are able to travel and meet in large groups again it will be incredible. In the meantime, while we are still waiting, thank you very much for reading the Akitan. We hope you enjoy this edition.
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