plum
The aptly-named "Plum Hill" (ume-gaoka) was our destination this sunny weekend. Though the ume is commonly translated as plum, it's actually a rather bitter apricot. Nevertheless, its now blossoming all around Tokyo.
Read MoreWaiting for the train at Sasazuka
It's the first Saturday in weeks that we've not been submerged in snow. No blizzard today, just very clear skies. In fact, the huge mounds of snow dotted around the streets now appear out of place.
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Plum Blossom │ NEX-7 & Canon nFD 50mm │ 50mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/800, RAW
It's been a while since I've found the time to update the blog. I've been busy with work and simply haven't had the time to categorise, edit, select, upload, and publish anything from the last week or two. I hope that I'll be able to step up my posting frequency again this month, however.
Yesterday, we visited Ōme on the western fringe of what is acceptable to call Tokyo. It's around 2 hours (70 miles, a few line changes) from our place in central Tokyo, with each station and surrounding area becoming more rural by the minute.
Ōme is a popular tourist destination, mostly for Japanese wanting to escape the hustle-bustle of the big city, but it's common to see a few foreigners with Lonely Planet guide books.
These two kids were visiting Ōme without parental guidance; not something you'd see outside of Japan (in my experience). I've become accustomed to seeing children under 10 years old taking trains by themselves, in convenience stores, and generally walking around. They really look just like "little people", rather than children, sometimes.
Most people are here for the "ume matsuri" or ume festival. Ume are often called plums, but that's not always the case! Either way, the blossom of the Japanese Apricot is why we were there, and that's why everyone else was there too.
The ume blossoms come a month or so before the much revered Japanese "sakura" cherry blossoms, famous the world-over.
In all honesty, when we arrived at the national park, we were a little disappointed. Nothing like the posters, the scenery was pretty arid. A few select blossoms surrounded by people with cameras was not what we had in mind. I think that as the weather warms over the next couple of weeks, a few more might pop up, so we're thinking of going again, as it's a nice day trip.
As such, quality, not quantity was very much the theme of the day! Good proving grounds for the Zeiss and NEX-7, at any rate.
We arrived in the early afternoon, and stayed at the park until around 4pm, when the light starts to get really golden, and the angle creates some interesting shadows.
The blossoms are white, purple, yellow, and some are even green. Looking hard, we were able to find some nice colours and contrasting scenes. There were a few retired hiking types, out with beers and snacks, making the most of the good weather and atmosphere.
They were having a good old chat, about how many times each of them had visited, but I didn't listen-in. I had spotted the scene they were taking in...
And, that concludes the latest update. We plan on heading back to Ōme in a couple of weeks, so I'll be sure to document the changes and experiment with the varying scenes. I hope you liked the collection! ^^
Ume │ NEX-7 & SEL24F18Z │ 24mm, ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/100, RAW
梅,pronounced "oo-may", means is the Japanese apricot, though it is often mis-translated as plum. Bitter to the taste, it's not like a sweet apricot. It's usually pickled, or used to flavour alcohol (more on that to follow in a future post).
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There are no fruit yet, however. The blossoms have only just started, but the matsuri (festivals) are in full swing. Crowds gather, cameras pointed in all directions.
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I even saw one chap taking a photo with an iPad today. An iPad. Fantastic! I suppose his phone wasn't big enough? Each to their own.
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Nestled in between the skyscrapers and train lines, the odd temple or two soldier on. It's rather remarkable, really, considering the price of Tokyo real-estate. I, for one, am glad these temples exist here in Tokyo.
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And judging by the number of "wishes" left outside of the temple, I am not alone with this thought.
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We managed to walk for about 30 minutes before finding this temple, though we had planned a much longer afternoon of walking. The temperature was barely above freezing, with the 25kph Northerly wind carving its way between the buildings. We chickened out, faces numb, and warmed ourselves with hot sake and plum wine.
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A hint of Spring │ NEX-7 & Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35mm F1.4 │ 35mm, ISO 100, f/2, 1/1000, RAW
Even though it's very cold each evening, daytime temperatures are hitting 10°C at the moment, in the bright sun. The first blossoms from various trees, mainly the plum-trees, are coming out and bringing colour to the concrete streets.
An encouraging site. A reminder that the bleakness of winter is short-lived.