TsukuBlog
PLUM crazy! Ibaraki`s Ume Trees in Bloom!
6 March, 2021
Walking to the Kasuga Community Center, I found myself enveloped in a sweet, warm and welcome fragrance. I knew what I would see even before I turned around – this large plum tree which had just burst into bloom!
Plum blossoms outside the MAIE soba restaurant in Yasato. Note how pointy the peaks of Mt. Tsukuba look from that side (March 5, 2021)
By Avi Landau
When one uses the word HANAMI (花見, flower viewing) on its own, it is understood by native speakers of Japanese to refer ONLY to the viewing and enjoyment of blooming CHERRY BLOSSOMS- and not of any other flower. This clearly shows the high regard given to the fragile pink blossoms which have since the Heian Period symbolized the transient nature of all things, one of the cornerstone concepts of Japanese aesthetics and philosophy. Going to a meisho (名所, a famous place for viewing cherry blossoms) can reveal how the Japanese have turned th
TsukuBlog
A Local Perspective on Life in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
All Doors are Open, as the Old Town of Makabe gets DOLLED UP for its annual HINA DOLL FESTIVAL (真壁の雛祭り) -until March 3rd
7 February, 2020
Nearly one hundred of the old houses and shops (including this deliciously rustic book store) will be open to the public with antique Hina Dolls and other heirlooms on display as part of the Hina Matsuri Festival in Makabe, Sakuragawa City ( just north of Tsukuba)- till March 3rd
A pair of antique Hina Dolls (from the 19th century) on display at an old shop which in makabe