Have you ever been addressed with the words “Onegai shimasu” chanted by children raising funds for the needy on the streets? The Japanese for “to wish, desire or hope for” is negau, which has the meaning of conveying one’s hopes or desires to someone or the gods and of looking forward to their materialization.

The polite form of addressing a person with a wish is Onegai shimasu (I ask of you, I beg you, please). This expression is often used when asking a person to do a favor. Ordinarily, this expression is used after making one’s wish known. For example, “Mado o akete kudasai. Onegai shimasu” (Open the window, please). This way, it becomes more polite than merely saying “mado o akete kudasai,” and the fact that one wants this done is emphasized.

Sometimes it is prefaced by yoroshiku when expressing the hope that the matter will be carried out to the best of the other parties ability. In any case, both yoroshiku and onegai shimasu are most useful and polite expressions when dealing with the Japanese and will no doubt be greatly appreciated by both sides.日本語 (Japanese)

There are several things that symbolize Japan to the Western world, but perhaps the most obvious one is the sakura or cherry blossom. A delicate pink flower that blossoms en masse in April, it is, along with the chrysanthemum (the family crest of the emperor), very close to the Japanese heart.

As the days grow warmer, parks, sidewalks, and gardens are enveloped in a pinkish haze, signalling that the hana-mi, literally meaning flower viewing, season has once again come around.

Friends and relatives gather underneath the cherry trees, drinking sake (Japanese rice wine) and eating carefully prepared bento (box lunches) or snacks. They laugh, talk, and sing with hearts as light as the spring breeze that playfully tosses the cherry petals to the ground. Truly, an experience not to be missed.日本語 (Japanese)