April 1 marked a new start for many people in Japan. That¡¯s because it was the first day of both the ѧÄê (gakunen, academic year) and the Äê¶È (nendo, fiscal year). ¤¤¤è¤¤¤è4Ô¤ǡ¢Ð¤·¤¤Éú»î¤¬¥¹¥¿©`¥È¤·¤Þ¤¹ (Iyoiyo shigatsu de, atarashii seikatsu ga sut¨¡to shimasu, April is finally here, a new life begins).

Set against a backdrop of —@ (sakura, cherry blossoms), several ceremonies mark this time of year. At СѧУ (²õ³ó¨­²µ²¹°ì°ì¨­, elementary schools) across the country, ÐÂÒ»ÄêÉú (shin-ichinensei, new first-year students) are expected to attend a Èëѧʽ (²Ô²â¨±²µ²¹°ì³Ü²õ³ó¾±°ì¾±, school entrance ceremony) with their parents.

If you¡¯re walking around the streets, you will see some children sporting a new ÖÆ·þ (seifuku, school uniform) and a ¥é¥ó¥É¥»¥ë (randoseru, school backpack), a katakana term that comes from the Dutch word ¡°ransel¡± (knapsack).