There is no established explanation as to the meaning of Uzuki; but it is generally understood as a month of blooming flowers. To the Japanese, April is a special month always related to the start of something new in our life: entering a school or working for the first time. For private companies and public offices, the month marks the start of their financial years.

Well, turning to my stint as president of “Edanishi 5-chome” residents’ association that began April last year and will end this month, I would like to review what I have done and learnt.

Our residents’ association is run by a committee consisting of 14 representatives (including myself) who are selected from around 360 households in Edanishi 5-chome; the president is selected from those representatives. So, through committee meetings (once a month) we discussed and made specific plans for upcoming community events.  

Firstly, we carried out a summer festival together with six other residents’ associations all from the Edanishi district at the nearby primary school playground last August. Secondly, we arranged for a bus tour to Gotemba in October. Then in November a disaster prevention drill was conducted, also in close cooperation with the other associations. In January, we held a New Year party at a restaurant; and lastly, we baked sweet potatoes in an open-air fire at our local park in February.  

I feel strongly that all 14 association representatives learned, if not enjoyed, the importance of participating in community activities: that are basically aimed at fostering bonds among community members.

From here, I would like to suggest developing another association activity that could help members’ commercial activities at home—like flower arrangement classes, tutorials in foreign languages, handicraft teaching and so on. How exactly? That has to be worked out by the new association committee representatives who will take over from us next month.

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