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A year in Japan gave me a whole new perspective on the changing seasons, including the flowering seasons. I checked out the flowers in season every month in some of their most famous places in and around Tokyo. I find myself wanting to do the same thing now that I’m back home, something that wasn’t high on my radar before.
Today’s photo is of the ume (plum blossoms) at 池上梅園. Ume are far more impressive against a dark, stone lantern background than against an overcast sky.
…but not in Japan.
We do an annual Easter brunch and Easter egg hunt at a friend’s house in Ashland, Oregon. We missed last year’s festivities because we were in Japan. This year we were there, but it felt kind of like we were back in Japan since their house is surrounded by Japanese gardens.
The cherry blossoms have officially opened in Tokyo. I long to be there, but it’s not going to happen this year. I walked along the Kanda River nearly every night during sakura season last year. The massive cherry trees bent over the river and the lanterns lit them ever so sweetly. Notice the signs posted every few feet on the fence along the river. On them were written haiku by neighbors about sakura, the Kanda River, or both. Some of the poems were beautiful. Others were funny. This one was sad.
It says “桜見ず、パソコンながめ、勤務中” and was written by someone who calls himself 05パパ. Dad5’s poem reads, “Without viewing the cherry blossoms, I stare at my computer, in the middle of work.” I hope Dad5 is able to get out and see the cherry blossoms this year.
One of the oldest, if not the oldest, structure in Tokyo, Gokokuji was one of not many buildings that made it through World War II. Gokokuji was built more than 330 years ago.
If you happen to be in Tokyo in the near future, they have a flower festival at Gokokuji on the first or second Sunday of April.
I have shown you examples of Japanese advertising on lanterns previously. Today’s photo has some katakana for those who have begun studying Japanese. Here is a hint for the middle lantern.
This lantern-trimmed, old-style Japanese pleasure boat (spotted at Nikko Edo Wonderland) is named the Big Fortune Boat (大福丸). Once those tatami mats are laid out, you get on board, the sake begins to flow, and the food is served, you will consider yourself quite fortunate I’m sure.
By the way, yakata (fune–or bune after another word–means boat) doesn’t mean pleasure. It means the boat has a roof overhead to protect the pleasure seekers from any sun or rain that tries to ruin the event. You can see the larger, more modern style of these boats off of Odaiba on most summer nights.