Now in April many people are going to face quite some changes in term of work and school. And that applies for us too. Well, actually its is rather the little one, for whom the serious side of life is about to begin and the carefree time she has been able to enjoy so far will unfortunately soon be over. Of course, school is compulsory in Japan as well, although fortunately it is not quite as strict as in other countries. For example, it is quite easy to take your child out of elementary school for a few days without the school and youth welfare authorities turning up at your door. Nevertheless, the first grade is the start of a journey that ultimately prepares you to forget being a child and eventually accept your place in Japanese society. In the end, this may not work for everyone, but on the whole, the Japanese school system succeeds in forming a fairly homogeneous and well-functioning collective that manages to get along quite harmoniously in this sometimes rather narrow country. Once again, the signs point to a new beginning and a fresh start, but also to quite some repetition. For me at least, the new working year often seems to be a copy of the old one. Some things are different, but many things are very similar, which, as usual, has both advantages and disadvantages. Overall, I'm probably content with this, because as you get older, you're often not so keen on changes and new beginnings, but sometimes you're just happy to be able to do things the way you're used to. Although, of course, a breath of fresh air never hurts though. So fingers crossed that everyone will be off to a great start and that the coming months will be successful for all of us. Whether you will enter school or move to a higher grade, change the company or start your new or first job, let us do our best and also enjoy life as much as possible.