3.17.2008

Plum Trees (Ume)


At the arrival of spring, Japan is covered in a blanket of pink and white petals as the plum and cherry trees blossom.
We went to Nagaokakyo Tenmangu to see their Umebashi (plum garden). Plum trees blossom in march and cherry trees in late April, but they are both impressively beautiful.
As you walk through the garden you will notice a strong bitter sweet fragrance coming from the thousands and thousands of tiny flowers on the trees. People get really close to the flowers and smell each different type of ume tree as if comparing which tree has the sweetest smell.

Walking through the park I saw a brief glimpse at an old couple having a bento picnic in a secluded spot under an ume tree, quietly eating, still together after who knows how many years, still visiting parks on weekends, how sweet is that?

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