Now, Ume (Japanese apricot, Prunus mume) has begun to bloom.
As you know, Japan is famous for sakura (cherry) blossom. The message of cherry blossom is “spring has come”. On the other hand, the tacit message of ume (apricot) blossom which blooms earlier than sakura is “spring is approaching” although it’s still cold these days.
Webmaster personally prefer ume blossom than sakura because of its modest beauty.
If you are traveling in Japan now or will travel soon, ask your guide or agency where you can see ume blossom. There are some gardens or parks famous for ume blossom, but in fact ume trees are planted in many places although it may be in small scale.
The following websites show you many photos of the varieties of ume.
http://www.geocities.jp/kbg_tree/ume/ume-list.htm (Japanese)
http://hananohinnsyu.web.fc2.com/umekind01.htm (Japanese)
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