(Bring your own beverages and lunch box)

We will meet at the Chichibu Railway’s BushuuNakagawa Station’s ticket gate at 10:10AM or on the front car of the Seibu Ikebukuro Line at Ikebukuro Station at 8:05AM. Take the 8:05AM Seibu Ikebukuro Line express train (going towards MitsumineGuchi) at Ikebukuro Station. This arrives at Chichibu Station at 9:48 and becomes the Chichibu Railway. Stay on this train, leaving at 9:57 and arriving at BushuuNakagawa Station at 10:07. Be sure to arrive by this time since we will be unable to wait for the next train.

Actual walking time is about 4.5 hours.

Course: BushuuNakagawa Station – Seiunji Temple (Weeping Cherry Tree) – Gokoku Goddess of Mercy Statue – Chosha Mansion Remains – Hitsujiyama Park (Ground Pink Blossom Viewing) – Chichibu Station
 
Meet on the front of the 8:05 train at Ikebukuro if you want to go from there.

http://www.mapple.net/sp_sakura/details.asp?NEWSID=98245　- HitsujiYama Park Cherry Tree Festival
http://www.mapple.net/sp_sakura/details.asp?NEWSID=98244 – Seiunji Temple Weeping Cherry Trees

From 6:30-9:30pm at the Polygon (behind the Oriental Bazaar on Omotesando) For JAMBO members, the cost is 3,500 yen for men and 3,000 yen for women w/reservation (foreigners get a 1000 yen discount)(or plus 500 yen if you go directly without making a reservation). All beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks + sushi buffet, garden salad, veggies, cheeses, breads, and pies for dessert included.

Reservations can be made with David at jambodave@green.email.ne.jp or phone (03-6599-8112) by April 11.

Half of your admission fee will be donated to
Rainforest Alliance, a group that promotes sustainability in farming, trade, tourism and areas of finance. http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/

So you can have an enjoyable evening and help a good cause at the same time.

If you’d like to go with David, please meet at Exit A1 of Omotesando Station at 6:15PM on the 12th.

Meet at the ticket gate of Higashi-akiru Station (on the Itsukaichi Line) at 10:37AM.
  
From Shinjuku, take the Chuo Line (Express going towards Takao) at 9:38 , arriving at Tachikawa Station at 10:12AM.  Change to the 10:15 Oume Line train (which changes into the JR Itsukaichi line at Haijima), arriving at Higashi-akiru Station at 10:35.
David will get on the front of the Chuo Line train at Nakano at 9:42AM.

Course:　Higashi-akiru Station – Mt. Daichou Hiking Course – Hamura Tulip Field – Tamagawa cherry tree festival – Fussa Station
Walking Time: about 4 hours

http://www.city.hamura.tokyo.jp/0000000957.html – Hamura Flower and Water Festival
http://www.enjoytokyo.jp/life/event/574905/ – Fussa Cherry Tree Festival

Africa Weekends NEW!
(As a part of 「I Can Project」 No.1)

A workshop on April 5 (Sat) and a talk event on April 19 (Sat) will be held as charity events in order to support Hiro’s Organic Farming Group (http://hiroorganicshop.kbo.co.ke/home).

A Japanese couple (Mr. and Mrs. Nagata) have been running an NPO called Hiro’s Organic Farming Group in Kenya since 2011.　They’ve facilitated a variety of projects to help local people live more independently based on agriculture and to help the community become more sustainable through teaching organic farming to them.

（1）April 5 (Saturday) Let’s write letters to children in Kenya!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Nagata not only instruct local people organic farming techniques, but also support 15 HIV children in Kenya. In order for the 15 children to go to school for a year, it costs 23,000 yen. The participation fee will be donated as the school tuition for these 15 children!

●Workshop：Let’s write letters to children (HIV orphans) in Kenya
●Place: Jambo school (Monzennakacho)
●Time：18：30−20：30
●Participation fee: ￥1,200　（￥1,200×15 people ＝￥23,000）　
With this ￥23,000, 15 children can go to a school for ONE YEAR!
●Number of reservations: 15 people (reservation necessary)

★Each participant will be assigned to write a letter to one child. When making a reservation, let me know if you’d like to write to a girl, boy, or either. When I assign you which child to write to, please bring nice letters and an envelope with you!

★In case of cancelling, please do so ASAP since there might be some people on the waiting list. I appreciate your understanding.

●Please make a reservation at : seitansai1225@yahoo.co.jp ( MIKI )

（Donation for goods）
On April 5, we will be accepting goods for donation.
Since Kenya’s postal service is not so well-organized (high tax is charged upon receiving a postal package), Mr. and Mrs. Nagata will hand carry these goods as well as the letters to the children when they head back to Africa at the beginning of April.

For those who are coming to the event on April 5, goods donation are also appreciated! (No home delivery or postal is accepted)

(Request for goods )
●For men：ties and shirts (to go to a church)
●For women: skirts, towels and handkerchiefs
●For children ：stationary (erasers, pens and pencils, pencil-sharpeners, color pencils and notebooks, etc)
●For babies : second-hand clothes and shoes.
●Flashlights (which are wound up to recharge, not using batteries) (to go around in the dark at night since there are no street lights)
● Small toys (paper balloons etc), Japanese things (postcards, handkerchiefs, etc)

(2) April 19 (Saturday) – Talk event!
(It was rescheduled from March 22)

Guest speaker ：Kevin Markowitz

Hello, my name is Kevin and I’m a 44 year old South African who’s been living and working in Japan for 15+ years. I recently visited two South African cities (Johannesburg and Cape Town) to meet with family and spend some time back in my beautiful country. Part of this visit was spent volunteering for, and learning about, an organization called Abilimi Bezekhaya (アバリミ・ベザカヤ). Their mission is to help combat poverty in the Western Cape and support impoverished communities through growing food, and planting indigenous trees and flora. I will be giving a short and interesting presentation about my home country and the organization along with many pictures taken during my journey. Please come to watch and listen while you learn more about South Africa, it’s people, and their daily lives.

This talk event will be held in English.

●Place: Jambo school (Monzennakacho)
●Time：18:30～20:00 (90 minutes) Talk event
20：00～21：00　 Informal social hour among the participants
●Participation fee：￥1,000　
●Reservations：up to 20 people
●Please make a reservation at ：seitansai1225@yahoo.co.jp ( MIKI )

(Personal donation)
We also accept personal donations, 100% which will be passed on to the Nagatas. Your generous and kind donation will be included in the donation we make to this organization.

If you’re interested, please come and join these events!!!
Participants are welcomed to join one or the other (are not required to join both) as they please.
If you have further questions, please contact MIKI at
seitansai1225@yahoo.co.jp

Meet at MonzenNakaCho Station’s (on the Tozai Line) A4 Exit at 13:00
 
13:00 – 14:00 – Ooyoko Canal Cherry Blossom walk, Fukagawa Shrine

14:00 – 15:00 –  Kiyosumi Japanese Garden

15:00 – 17:00 – Koto Ward “Full of Cherry Blossoms” Sumida River and Ecchuujima Park Walk

The course is about 5 Kilometers.