Message from the Editor

Spring has sprung and the plum blossoms in Mito's Kairakuen are drawing crowds from all over Japan. Have you seen them yet?

The weather is changing and giving us hints of the warm days ahead, and then plunging us back into winter. This month's articles are full of ideas to get you out of your "1-room" apartments and into the wonderful outdoors of Ibaraki!

New articles for March 2006

• March 2006 events at a glance
• The 15th Annual Foreigner Speech Contest in Ibaraki - Fifteen well-spoken foreigners battled talking about their home countries and experiences in Ibaraki
• The 2006 JET Programme - Ibaraki's involvement
• The Tatatmi Museum - The only one of its kind in Japan
• Indigo dyeing - A dyeing art
• Nattō - If you can bear it
• Tsukuba Science City - Modern center of research and education
• Kashima Soccer Museum - Learn about the World Cup and Ibaraki's famous team, the Antlers
• Kotatsu nattō - Make your own nattō at home, under your kotatsu!
• The footprint of Daidarabo - Ever wondered how Lake Senba formed?
• Ibaraki dialect: ge & be, shanme, gojappe, suppe - Can you understand the Ibaraki old folk?
• The other Tom Watson - But golfing all the same
• Ibaraki images - Show us your Ibaraki
• My international driver's license will expire soon - What do I have to do?
• My bicycle has gone missing from out the front of the station - How to get your bike back
• Are there any overnight buses leaving from Ibaraki? - A cheap way to travel long distance