Hello and Welcome to www.nipponcraft.com,
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| Starting to bloom now (Feb 8th, 2012) |
Today, I would like to share the season information with you. Currently it is Ume flower season in Japan. Ume is a Japanese plum tree and its flower smells sweet and sour. Ume flowers begin to bloom in the mid February and continue to bloom through mid March. Ume flower season ends before the Sakura flower season arrives. However, due to the colder winter of this year, they have just started to bloom as you can see in the right photo. Ume trees look like ghost trees because the branches bend in many ways.We always look forward to seeing the Ume flowers because they are the sign of spring start.
There are two type of colors of Ume flowers - red (or pink) and white. Because the combination of red and white is a symbol of happiness and congratulation in Japan, the flowers are very much loved in this country.
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| Pink Ume |
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| White Ume |
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| A bush warbler on Ume tree |
Also the combination of bush warblers and Ume trees are loved for the symbol of spring. You will find many bush warblers flying and singing on the Ume trees in this season. I inserted an arrow (in the above photo) to show you this combination, but I am sorry that my photo technique is so good enough to shot the bird in a bigger image.
I took these photos at Haneki Park in Setagaya, Tokyo. This park is famous for the plantation of many kinds of Ume trees. The park is quite close to Ume-gaoka station of Odakyu electric railway.
Since Ume flowers are very common and the symbol of the spring after long winter in Japan, that's why Ume flowers are often picked up for the pattern of Furoshiki, Tenugui and Noren curtain.
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| Ume and bird tenugui |
Thank you!
