Japanese Plum Blossoms
Japan is in all its beautiful glory during the spring time. During this time flower blossoms, Tokyo sightseeing Tours are the best thing to see. Tourists from all places around the world flock to Japan particularly during the spring season to enjoy the blossoms. In Japan the Plum Blossom is known as “The Flower of Peace” and has a very important place in Japanese literature and symbolism. Much Japanese art, literature, and ceremony revolves around seasons as symbolized by various flowers. Festivals, blossom sighting or the hanami and lot other things are the prime attractions during this time.
With the coming of spring, all of Japan and both popular and gay-friendly sightseeing tours in Tokyo become very vigilant and watchful, blooming of sakura or cherry blossoms being the main reason. For over a thousand years, cherry blossoms have played a large role in the lives of the Japanese mainly as an excuse to party. Hanami is the name for these cherry blossom viewing parties which involves plopping a blue tarp down under some blooming cherry trees and preceding to get sloshed amidst the pink foliage. However, long ago, it wasn’t the cherry blossom that held the hearts of Japanese in thrall. It was the diminutive and demure plum blossom (ume) which moved poets nimble hands and made emperors weep. Plum blossom hanami was one of many customs that came from China during Japan’s developing phase.
The plum tree was not originally an indigenous plant in Japan but was brought over from China. It quickly took root, though, in the fertile soil and imagination of Japan. Plum blossoms are seen in Japan as the heralds of Spring, the restrained forerunners to the bold cherry blossoms. They typically bloom from mid-February to mid-March before making way for the grandstanding cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom was said to represent a woman’s beauty while the plum blossom was said to represent her purity. As per the history goes, one of the plum blossoms greatest patrons was the noted scholar Sugawara-no-Michizane (845-903). He was a scholar and Imperial advisor before his downfall. When he was exiled from Kyoto to a lonely island, legend says his favorite plum tree uprooted itself and flew to his place of exile to comfort him. Plum blossoms are smaller in size and therefore do not cover their branches to the degree that cherry blossoms do. Plum blossoms, however, have a fragrant scent unlike their odorless successors the cherry blossoms. This scent has been popular theme for number Haiku poems from famed poets.
So while the cherry blossom has long dominated the scene and continues to do so, the plum blossom still holds its own with its own grace and charm. Without the plum blossom and the tradition of hanami (blossom viewing) brought over from China along with the tree itself, there may never have been any cherry blossom tradition and Japanese Spring would be a quieter and duller time than it is today. But, due to increase in climate temperatures, plum blossoms do not happen very easily.
While a few people are still skeptical of climate change and global warming, for others the recent trend of unusual weather from snowless winters, icestorms, powerful hurricanes, population outburst and melting icecaps bodes ill for the future.