Ahead of cherry blossom season, the ume or plum blossoms brighten up the colder months in Japan. This guide introduces the different varieties. This type of ume is close to the original species ...

While cherry blossoms are often seen as the quintessential Japanese flower ... China around 1,500 years ago, plums were already cherished as ornamental trees in the Nara period (710–794 ...

Setagaya's Hanegi Park is home to over 600 plum blossom trees. These small ... celebrates the flowering season with events like mochi pounding, tea ceremonies and traditional music performances.