Japanese Snowball (Viburnum Plicatum Var. Tomentosum) ヤブデマリ（藪手毬）

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They look like white lacecap hydrangeas but are not. They are Japanese snowball (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum). The Japanese snowball is native to Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan, so can be found across Japan, producing white flowers (which actually are sterile flowers) in May and June. 

There are mainly two types of Japanese snowball, Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum and Viburnum plicatum var. plicatum f. plicatum, and they're closely related but it's easy to tell which is which because of their different flower shape. 

2026/5/2

Golden Chain (Laburnum Anagyroides) キングサリ（金鎖）

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Golden chain (Laburnum anagyroides) is native to Central and Southern Europe and is not so commonly found in Japan because of its less heat resistance. In Japan, golden chain is mainly grown in Nagano and Hokkaido prefectures, which are relatively cool and dry, and parks and botanical gardens.  

The golden chain has two Japanese names, "kin gusari," which translates into "golden chain," and "kibana fuji," which translates into "yellow Japanese wisteria," because of their resemblance except for color. The golden chain and the wisteria, however, are in different genera, i.e., golden chain in the Laburnum genus while Japanese wisteria in the Wisteria genus.   

2026/5/2

Pink Japanese Snowbell (Styrax Japonicus 'Pink Chimes') ベニハナエゴノキ（ピンクチャイム）

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Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus) is native to eastern Asia and can be found across Japan, producing pendulant white and pink flowers from May to June. Those in this post are specifically pink Japanese snowbells (Styrax japonicus 'Pink Chimes'). The flowers are pretty but Japanese snowbells also produce pretty fruits in autumn, which look like almond chocolates.    

2022/5/13

Japanese Snowbell (Styrax Japonicus) エゴノキ

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It's been two years since I last photographed Japanese snowbell flowers (Styrax japonicus). Last year, the blossoms in my neighborhood had fallen due to strong winds before I took photos. The tree is called "Egonoki," which means a "bitter tree" due to the bitter fruit. 

2024/5/6

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia Latifolia) カルミア（亜米利加石楠花、アメリカシャクナゲ）

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Mountain laurels (Kalmia latifolia) are native to the eastern United States but can now be found across Japan, producing flowers varying from white to pink in May and June in Japan. The flowers look like parasols when open and the buds konpeito, i.e., tiny star-shaped Japanese sugar candies, which are Pokémon Nebby's favorite food.

Konpeito was imported from Portugal to Japan in the 16th century together with the name "confeito" in Portuguese, meaning sugar candy. If you haven't seen the candy, click here (Wikipedia). See? The buds of mountain laurel look exactly like konpeito, don't they?

Despite such lovely appearance, however, all the parts of Kalmia are poisonous especially for sheep as suggested by its other common names "lamb-kill," "calf-kill," "kill-kid," and "sheep-poison."

2025/5/24

2025/5/12

Broomrape (Orobanche) ハマウツボ（浜靫）

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Broomrape (Orobanche) is native to Europe and Asia and can be found across Japan, producing flowers from May to July in Japan. Despite its usual-plant-like appearance, it's a parasitic herbaceous plant with no chlorophyll. Its host is wormwood (Artemisia), so there must be wormwood nearby. Before knowing it's parasitic, I looked forward to seeing its flowers, which I expected to be purple, but now with that knowledge, I found it a bit eerie.

2026/5/2

Weigela Hortensis 谷空木（タニウツギ）

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The weigela (Weigela hortensis) is native to Japan and can be found across the country, flowering generally from May to July. The pink flowers surrounded by its green leaves are so beautiful.   

Despite such pretty pink color, weigela branches and stems were used in Japan to make chopsticks for a post-cremation ritual where family members pick up and transfer bone fragments from a cremation tray into an urn using such chopsticks. For that, weigela is still avoided in some areas. Wow, I've lived in Japan for many years but didn't know that.

Weigela can produce white flowers (which I've never seen) and its autumn leaves are as gorgeous as the flowers! (Scroll down!)

2025/4/29

2025/4/29

Linden Arrowwood (Viburnum Dilatatum) ガマズミ（莢蒾）

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Linden arrowwood (Viburnum dilatatum) is native to Eastern Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces tiny white flowers in clusters from April to June and also clusters of red drupes in autumn. The drupes are too sour to eat in the beginning but become sweeter towards late autumn. 

The linden arrowwood means that "love is stronger than death" in Japanese floriography.

2026/4/30

Blue Hydrangea Serrata (Tea of Heaven "Mikata-Yae") 美方八重（ミカタヤエ）

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Mikata-yae hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata (Thunb. ex Murr.) Ser. "Mikata-yae"), early bloomers, are now in full bloom. The buds looked like green stars at the beginning of May, then have turned blue, and are still hanging to pink or purple. Mikata-yae hydrangeas are said to be one of the most beautiful blue hydrangeas. 

2025/5/18

2025/5/18

2025/5/18

2025/5/18

Hamilton's Spindletree (Euonymus Hamiltonianus) マユミ（檀）

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Some plants bring you happiness through the year and Hamilton's spindletree (Euonymus hamiltonianus) is one of them. The plant is native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces tiny cream flowers from May to June and fruits in autumn. The fruits are four-lobed and green at the beginning, then turn pale pink, and crack to show seeds with red arils in autumn.

A good thing about photographing plants is to make people more talkative. When I was photographing the fruits in September, two women approached me asking what they were. I said they were the fruits of Hamilton's spindletree but the women insisted they couldn't be fruits but buds to flower soon. It was fun talking with strangers about little things.

2026/4/24

2025/5/9

Japanese Red Maple (Acer Pycnanthum) ハナノキ（花之木）

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Japanese red maple trees (Acer pycnanthum) are native to Japan. Their Japanese name is "hananoki," translating to "flower tree," which is too general, isn't it? The tree is named as such after its deep red flowers standing out because they're produced before green leaves are in early spring when no other flowers are seen. This makes sense. I first found the flowers because the red color stood out in early March.  

2024/4/30