One look at the ume (EW-MAY) blossoms at Osaka Castle’s lavish gardens is a sure sign it’s spring. Ume blossoms, also known as plum blossoms, originally came from China and are usually the first flowers to open in Japan. They’ve been a traditional part of Japanese history for as long as anyone can remember.
After hearing about the ume experience from Laura and Colin, Scott and I finally decided to view the blossoms for ourselves. We biked to Osaka Castle’s grounds for an ume matsuri (plum blossom viewing “party”) had a picnic, and absorbed the beauty of everything that surrounded us. It’s funny, because for the short time that the blossoms are out, almost the whole Japanese population flocks to a shrine, temple, or public park for a “party” which means drinking an Asahi Super Dry, Chu-Hi, snapping far too many pictures, or simply admiring the beauty. Before we saw the blossoms, I really didn’t understand the hype about these “parties” that involved looking at blossoms for hours on end, but now I fully understand why—it truly is a remarkable sight and Scott and I spent several hours enjoying them.
The weather here has been about 16 degrees lately and hopefully it doesn’t get cold again. Weather in Japan usually has a pattern of three days cold/rainy/gross weather followed by four days of enjoyable weather. The start of the warm weather kind of caught us off guard too since it was about 3 degrees last week and suddenly seemed to warm up overnight. The cherry blossoms (sakura) will be out by early April so hopefully we’ll catch a glimpse of them in Kyoto before we leave to come home!
Osaka Castle is absolutely gorgeous. It reminded me of Himeji Castle (from the exterior) and although we didn’t take a castle tour, we were still able to admire it from afar. Apparently, it’s one of Japan’s most famous castles and was built in the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Unlike Himeji Castle, it was badly damaged in bombing raids during World War II and has been restored since then. While the outside of the castle appears as it would have when it was first constructed, the interior doesn’t resemble a traditional Japanese castle in any way. The castle grounds sprawl over one square kilometre of land—quite a large area for a country where space is at a prime. Although the castle is unarguably a beautiful sight, it’s also strange to see such a historic landmark right in the middle of one of the busiest parts of the city.
I’m off to Mount Fuji next Sunday with my friend, Ori, who is coming to visit her brother and do her teaching practicum. We haven’t really sorted out all the details yet, but we’re going to visit an area called Hakone, which is around the base of the mountain and is famous for its many onsens (hot springs). We’re only going for a day, but I’m sure I’ll have lots more to blog about next week (including pictures of Fuji and my experience of bathing in a public place)!
Work is going well for both of us, but we’re excited to be finished on March 31st. We depart for Korea the very next day and we’re even more thrilled for our adventures ahead!
Well, see ya later!
Jo & Scott
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