Somei Yoshino Cherry Blossoms (Prunus x Yedoensis) 染井吉野（ソメイヨシノ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis or Cerasus x yedoensis). There are a variety of cherry trees but Somei Yoshino is so special in Japan that the term "cherry blossoms" often means Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms are all gorgeous but differently from other flowers, i.e., always associated with death or ephemerality because of their short life span of one to two weeks. 

The beauty reminds me of "The Makioka Sisters" by Junichiro Tanizaki, which ends with cherry blossoms viewing in Kyoto. The novel has no plot but is so intriguingly beautiful, based on the real life of the sisters of Tanizaki's wife, with a writing style which currently may not be necessarily popular due to long sentences. Its original title "sasame yuki" translates to "light snow," a metaphor of the Makioka family, which is declining and therefore showing the ephemeral beauty as cherry blossoms. The novel was translated into English by Edward G. Seidensticker. It's pretty long but worthwhile reading if you're interested in Japanese culture.  

Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms are pinkish white as opposed to Oshima cherry blossoms, which at first are whitish pink, then turn to baby pink. If you're interested in other types of cherry blossoms, read the posts below!!

• Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata)
• Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
• Kawazu cherry (Cerasus lannesiana)
• Pink & white Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa)
• Weeping cherry blossoms

2023/3/29

2025/4/6

2025/4/6

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

Weeping Cherry Blossoms 枝垂桜（シダレザクラ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

There're a variety of cherry blossoms and every type is beautiful, but weeping cherry blossoms are a bit different with flexible strength, don't you think? Below are the cherry blossoms I've seen so far. If you're interested, read these posts!

• Somei Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis or Cerasus x yedoensis)
• Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata)
• Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
• Kawazu cherry (Cerasus lannesiana)
• Oshima Cherry (Prunus speciosa)

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

2026/3/28

Japanese Andromeda (Pieris Japonica) アセビ（馬酔木）

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Japanese andromeda is native to, and can be found across, Japan. The plant usually produces white flowers but another type Japanese andromeda 'Rosea' (Pieris japonica f. Rosea), produces pink flowers. The plant's Japanese name is "asebi (馬酔木)," which translates into "a tree which makes horses drunk" because horses that eat this plant look drunk due to a toxin contained in it. Deer in the Nara Koen park in the Nara prefecture don't eat this plant (how clever they are!), resulting in many Japanese andromeda trees left growing in the park. Japanese andromeda is known for its pretty flowers but its fruits (scroll down!) are also beautiful. 

2026/3/25

2026/3/25

Oshima and Yoshino Cherry Blossoms - Which is Which? 大島桜と染井吉野の見分け方

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It's very difficult to distinguish Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa) from Somei Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis). Both are whitish pink, resembling each other. But there are a couple of clear differences.

First, Oshima cherry trees start to produce white flowers and green leaves at almost the same time while Somei Yoshino produces whitish pink blossoms first and then green leaves after flowers fall. You can see this by comparing the first two photos. Secondly, Oshima cherry blossoms turn whitish pink just before falling while Somei Yoshino blossoms don't. They're just whitish pink from the beginning to the end. Thirdly, although both are pink, the pink is slightly different because Oshima cherry blossoms change color, resulting in them having a gradient from pure white to pale (slightly reddish) pink toward the end of the blossom season whereas Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms' pink is a little smoky. 

If you want to compare these two in more detail, read the posts below.

• Oshima cherry blossoms 
• Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms

If you're interested in brighter pink cherry blossoms, such as Yoko, Okame, Kawazu, and Taiwan cherry blossoms, click the link(s)!

2026/3/24 Somei Yoshino

2026/3/24 Oshima

Common Vetch (Vicia Sativa) ヤハズエンドウ（矢筈豌豆）/ カラスノエンドウ（烏野豌豆）

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Common vetch (Vicia sativa) is native to the Orient and the Mediterranean regions but now can be found across Japan. The vetch produces pink purple flowers from March to June in Japan. They're edible and used to be eaten but no longer (so often) although some say vetch tempura is tasty on the internet. 

The vetch has two Japanese names, "yahazu endo" and "karasuno endo." The former "yahazu endo" means the "nock of an arrow pea" due to the resemblance of nock shape and the vetch's leaf shape while "karasuno endo" means "crow pea" due to the color of vetch fruits when ripe, which is black like crow feather. It's confusing but interesting that its leaves and fruits both draw attention, resulting in such a small plant having two names, which should suggest its popularity in Japan.  

2026/3/22

2026/3/22

2026/3/22

Japanese Maple Flower Buds カエデ（楓）の蕾

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There are more than 130 types of maple trees, most of which are native to East Asia. Maple trees are known for their beautiful autumn leaves but they produce flowers from April to May, which are tiny and lovely, creating such a beautiful red and green contrast. After the flower season, they then produce samaras, which look like two bladed propellers. Maple always reminds me of maple syrup candies made by Laura in Little House in the Big Woods. Her way of making them, i.e., dribbling the syrup onto the snow, intrigued me.   

 

2026/3/21

2026/3/21

2026/3/21

In Japan, Choose Your Words to AVOID Clarity... 言葉を選ばないとそうなりますね。。。

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"Choose your words for the right purpose." That is what I would like to say to Japanese people because of what happened several weeks ago.

Pale Speedwell (Veronica Cymbalaria) コゴメイヌノフグリ（小米犬の陰嚢）

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Pale speedwells (Veronica cymbalaria) are native to Europe. Speedwells can be found across Japan, but this type isn't so prevalent as other speedwells and can be found in and around Tokyo. (I took these pictures in Tokyo.) 

Pale speedwell's Japanese name is "kogome inu no fuguri," translating into "small rice dog balls." The name contains "small rice" because of its size and color and "dog balls" for a terrible reason, which you can read here. If you're interested in other speedwells, read the following posts!    

• Grey field-speedwell (Veronica polita) ➡ イヌノフグリ or "dog balls"
• Persian speedwell (Veronica persica) ➡ オオイヌノフグリ or "large dog balls"
• Corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis) ➡ タチイヌノフグリ or "standing dog balls"
• Ivy-leaved speedwell (Veronica hederifolia) ➡ ツタバイヌノフグリ（フラサバソウ） or "ivy-leaved dog balls"

2026/3/16

2026/3/16

2026/3/16

Variegated Japanese Camellia (Camellia Japonica) 斑入り椿

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There are more than 250 types of Japanese camellias and more than a thousand for camellias, i.e., Japanese camellias and sasanqua camellias. This variegated one is one of them. Variegated camellias are caused by viral infections, genetic mutations, or other reasons and have been appreciated and improved in Japan as an "oddity" since the Edo period (1603-1867). 

2026/3/21

2026/3/21

Flowering Peach (Prunus Persica Hanamomo) ハナモモ（花桃）

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Flowering peach trees are native to China, cultivated for ornamental purposes, and have been improved in Japan to produce more flowers since the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The trees generally bloom from March to April. The flower color ranges from white to red and red and white marble. The Japanese name "hanamomo" translates to "flower peach." Unusually, the English and Japanese names coincide.     

2026/3/20

2025/3/27

"Thousand-Flowered" Pink, Red, and White Japanese Camellias 千重咲きのピンク、赤、白の椿

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Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica) has many cultivars and this is one of them, "thousand flowered" Japanese camellias. You don't see stamens because their stamens (and pistils) have disappeared or degenerated, or changed into petals.  

The fact that these camellias have no stamens gave rise to one question for me, i.e. how a thousand flowered camellia dies. Will it fall off in its entirety like other usual Japanese camellias even though it has no stamens? The question occurred to me because the stamens of Japanese camellias (more specifically, the filament part) connect with petals, which allows their unique way of dying as opposed to sasanqua camellias, which die with petals falling off one by one without such connection. The answer is in the 7th photo. Even without stamens, a thousand flowered Japanese camellia falls off in its entirety. A Japanese camellia is a Japanese camellia whether it has stamens or not.  

2026/3/21

2026/3/21

2026/3/8

2026/1/17

2026/3/8