And you thought those were my only flower pictures?

[rkold]

Passover is nigh near on us and I am so not looking forward to it. About the only positives I can come up with are this year I am eating rice and just don't care and the fact my bath tub is now clean so I can take long hot baths with salts in them once Passover has started. Is that a bath bomb calling my name?




I should mention now, I just got a new camera. It's another canon and it took me a bit to get the hang of it, but I so love it! It takes such amazing close-ups. BTW if anyone wants to use some of these images, just drop me a line and be sure to say I took the pictures. :)

In October but blogged about in November I went to Kairakuen. And while it was quite pretty with its Fall colors and the few trees that were confused by the unseasonably warm weather, Kairaku-en truly shines during ume season.

Ume are the first of the flowering trees to blossom and the sign that Spring has finally sprung in Japan. For me, living in NY that same signer was forsythia and crocuses and I always felt happy to know the weather was finally improving with that happy flash of yellow from all the forsythia. Unlike its more famous brother, ume is more than just a beautiful flower, it is also produces FRUIT! The ume produced in Kairakuen end up being pickled and sold as concessions there to help maintain the park and keep it free. It's a lovely and productive cycle. Ume season starts in mid February depending on the weather and lasts until mid to late March, so I had missed peak by about a week, but it was still stunningly beautiful.


The ume at the base of the park




























being pollinated to make future umeboshi ♥










I really like this picture of me lol


And I adore this one


Wheee self portrait thanks to Erin! :D




I believe this tree was actually planted by the Tokugawa lord who started the park.

Comments

[kellyhime.livejournal.com]

Wow! So beautiful! I really had never thought about the difference between sakura and ume trees. I just thought that ume came from any sakura trees -- kind of like kiku and shungiku. Did you buy any of the umeboshi? I love pickled plums!

I don't know if you've been to the much smaller park next to a shrine near Ueno Koen. I'm still not good with my cardinal directions in Tokyo, so I can't tell you if it's north or what from the Ueno, but it's on the lake side. Anyway, they have some very ancient plum trees like these that were still blooming in May when we were there last.

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Ume come earlier and I think technically Momo comes between ume and sakura but the only Momo I saw was one at Sato so those pictures aren't until later. >>;;I believe ume have been bred with sakura to give sakura a pinker color.

I've been told that you can tell sakura from ume by the petals. Sakura always has the little indentation.

And yes! I did buy umeboshi made from the ume from the park! ♥ I also bought some pickled daikon

I don't think so? The only shrines I've been to in Ueno are part of Ueno Park. I'm surprised the ume last so long though! In Tokyo I'm hoping to get some fuji, tsutsuji and maybe botan pictures in May. :D

[kellyhime.livejournal.com]

The weird thing about the ume in the park near Ueno was that ants were infesting all the trees. It was really kind of creepy.*_*

You probably know this already, but Kanda Jinja has a lovely fuji bower behind the main shrine. It's especially nice, because there are little Inari shrines under the bower.^_^

[rkold.livejournal.com]

That does sound kind of creepy o_O;;; Luckily for me, the only bugs I remember seeing this trip were the bees which are not quite the same thing.

Actually, I was thinking of getting some pictures of the fuji bower at Big Sight >>;; I figured since I would be spending a lot of time there I may as well kill 2 birds with 1 stone. lol

[kellyhime.livejournal.com]

I didn't know that there's a fuji bower at Big Sight! You'll have to show/tell me where it is.^_^

[rkold.livejournal.com]

Sure, assuming I am not completely exhausted by Dolpa.

It'll be my 3rd event in a row lol Though I am hoping to finish early the day before since my true SCC loves are on Day 1.