Spring Equinox

It was a national holiday today here in Japan. Tokyo weather was springy for the equinox. I spent time in the garden looking at all the buds and greenery coming out and up. I was happy to see so many buds on this fruitless peach tree! I've been worried about it in the past. Here are two posts about the tree in March 2010.

I was really worried about Great-grandfather's bonsai plum trees this year. They bloomed over a month late! They usually bloom in February.

I'm glad they bloomed, but they are scraggly. I am responsible for them and I must do a better job! Actually, most plum trees in the area have bloomed late this year so it's not all my fault. Last summer was overly hot and dry.

Happy Girls' Day!

Snacks sometimes have seasonal decorations on their packaging. See the yellow stars in front of the screen surrounded by plum blossoms? They are wearing head ware like the dolls of the emperor and empress in the Japanese doll festival, hina matsuri. This snack is a lightly salted rice cracker. The white splotches are semi-sweet. It is a nice combination of salty and sweet.

Check Kids Web Japan for an explanation of Girls' Day. There is also a story on the site called The Missing Doll. And look here to see how they celebrate in Chiba, Japan.

Click on the labels below for more related HTJ posts. And to see photos of Big Sister's dolls.

Ume

This section of Jindai Botanical Gardens is devoted to ume or plum blossom trees.

This poor tree needs help to stand.

It's split,

but it still blooms.

Ume and Chestnut Trees

This field of ume (plum blossom) and chestnut trees (photo below) is on a busy street. We used to have a big field of ume down the street from our house.

Chestnut trees.

Ume Bonsai

Great-grandfather's ume bonsai are blooming. He has been gone for 17 years but his trees still bloom.

Ume Branches on Manhole Cover in Fuchu

 

Plum Blossom Season

Ume trees have been blooming for a while now. This tree has a lot of blooms on it. That's a street mirror in the bottom lefthand corner of the photo. Click here to see another street mirror. To see more ume click on the label below. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Okunitama Shrine

I saw this sign as I left Okunitama Shrine in Fuchu. It is for an ume (plum blossom) festival. It is hanging from a light post along the street.

I only got one picture of a ume tree in bloom. Come to think of it, it was the only I saw! The blossoms were late this year. I haven't seen many trees in bloom in our neighborhood.

Ume Branches

Flower shops sell branches of ume or plum blossoms at this time of year. They are used for flower arrangements and bouquets. They are also part of the display of dolls for Girl's Day. Check the labels below.

Ume Gummies

Ume this, ume that. I have posted several ume flavored snacks. The thing is, they're delicious. Many years ago when I first came to Japan, my students tricked me into tasting umeboshi, sour plum. I found out later it was a kind of joke. Others did it to foreigners, too, to see their reaction. Umeboshi is incredibly sour. Who'd know that?

Nowadays, there are many great tasting ume snacks. These gummies are sweet and sour. They have a bit of liquid in the center. They are not as chewy as gummy bears.

Look how well-made these gummies are! This is the shape of the ume blossom. If you want to draw an ume blossom, use this as a model. Soon, it will be sakura or cherry blossom time. I wonder if there will be sakura gummies this year, too. Yum.

Ume Rice Crackers

These are ume rice crackers. Ume potato chips are sold during this season, too.

The Doll's Tables

Lacquer table.

Vases of ume branches.

Painted ume branches.

This is a lacquer table with wooden mochi on top. Real mochi that is diamond shaped and hard is bought and put in front of the dolls. We just use the wooden ones that came with the set. Note, too, that the dolls sit on tatami, straw, mats.

Ume Branches

I started this month with pictures of ume. I'm ending the month with some, too.

Flower shops and grocery stores sell these branches of ume. During this season, you can see many people carrying them home. They hold them with the branches pointing down. Flowers are carried that way, too.

These branches are used in ikebana, flower arrangements. They are also used as part of the hina matsuri decorations.

Plum Blossom Chewing Gum

This is ume flavored chewing gum.

Still Blooming

Ume trees are still blooming.

Ume Trees

This is the side of a bridge that leads to the section of ume or Japanese plum trees at the Jindai Botanical Garden in Chofu, Tokyo. These are branches of Japanese plum blossoms. Note the shape of the petals. Sakura blossoms are different. Sakura or cherry blossom trees may bloom in March or April. We'll have to listen to the cherry blossom reports on TV.

Some of the Japanese plum trees were blooming. Most of the trees weren't.

Some blooms are dark pink almost fushia. Some are light pink or white.

This take or bamboo grove was next to the plum trees. Bamboo and Japanese plum blossoms are an auspicious combination. They are considered lucky.

Note: ume is translated as Japanese plum or apricot.

Dried Plum

This is a package of dried plums, umeboshi. Dried plums are very sour. If there is a section of white rice in an obento, a dried plum is usually put on top of and in the center of the rice. Papa said that was the heart of the obentou.

Sometimes, dried ume or ume paste is put inside onigiri, rice balls.

Ume

These ume bonsai trees were great grandfather's. They have been in the garden for several decades. Ume or plum trees bloom at the end of January or early February.

There are parks devoted to big ume trees. There used to be a field of ume trees down the street from us. At the Jindai Botanical Gardens, there is a section of ume trees.

People go plum blossom viewing. They don't have parties and picnics under the trees like they do under cherry trees in the spring.

Here are the bonsai trees a few weeks ago. These trees bloom in the dead of winter. It is a precious sight.