In this video you can see early ume (plum blossom) including beautiful weeping plum blossom at a small local temple along Yokohama JR Line. I always visit this temple to see (and smell!) these early blooming beauties. I also love the koi pond and the gate architecture. There are also 12 cute statues of child monks with animals representing the Chinese Zodiac. The temple is right next to Yokohama JR Line, so you will see the trains going past.
In the middle of February the gardens of most Japanese temples and parks look rather bleak. It’s a good time to see the garden ‘ bones’ before they are obscured by the romance of cherry blossom and the rush of spring growth.
One notable exception to this bleakness is plum blossom. I love plum blossom better than cherry blossom because of its early appearance and because of its wonderful fragrance. Another great thing about plum blossom is that there are so many different varieties, blooming from early February to late March in many different colors from dark red through every shade of pink to purest white.
In ancient times the Japanese also appreciated plum blossom. It was first brought to Japan from China to grace the gardens of the Japanese nobility, and in fact the first Ohanami parties were for plum blossom, not cherry blossom.
The temple’s name is Shounji.
The lovely piano music is from You Tube’s music library. It is ‘The First Time I Met Her’ by Edith Abrami.
AloJapan.com