Enkianthus Perulatus (White Enkianthus) Winter Buds Start to Open 灯台躑躅（ドウダンツツジ）の冬芽が開きました

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A week ago, I saw the tiny (i.e., less than 1 cm tall) capsule shaped winter buds of enkianthus perulatus (i.e., white enkianthus). They were buds but not "flower" buds but "winter" buds. A winder bud, i.e., a bud of not only flowers, but also leaves and twigs, is dormant and enclosed in a protective covering to survive winter (Lexico). And ta-dah! See? They've started to open!! 

I didn't expect, however, that the buds would grow into such bright red shoots, so I googled and found Professor Kunijiro Yoshitama at Kumamoto University saying that although it wasn't fully understood yet why the shoots of some plants are red, the following are known:

1. The temperature of red leaves is higher than that of green leaves.
2. The red pigment in leaves (i.e., anthocyanin) is antibacterial and prevents larvae.
3. The red pigment in leaves (i.e., anthocyanin) promotes the development of chloroplast while protecting the plastid from ultraviolet rays.   

How clever of plants! By the way, a baby is "aka chan" in Japanese, meaning "red chan" because babies are red when they're born😆. ("Chan" is one of the Japanese honorifics most frequently used for small children and girls.)

Enkianthus perulatus winter buds start to open  灯台躑躅の冬芽が開き始めました

The baby shoots are red for reasons! 若葉が赤いのには理由があるんです！

Not open yet on January 15  1月15日はまだ開いていませんでした

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先週、灯台躑躅（ドウダンツツジ）の冬芽について書いたのですが、昨日、その冬芽から真っ赤な若芽が伸びているのを発見！でも若芽ってどうして赤いの？不思議に思ってググったら「植物Q&A」というサイトを見つけました。それによると、一部の植物の芽や若葉が赤い理由は分かってないのですが、以下は証明されているとのこと。

1. 葉が赤いと葉の温度（葉温）は高くなる。
2. 赤い色素（アントシアン）には抗菌作用や虫の幼虫を寄せつけない作用がある。
3. 赤い色素は、葉緑体（緑色色素を作り、光合成を行う器官）の発達を促進する働き、および発達中の葉緑体を紫外線から守る働きを持つ。

植物って賢いのね！ちなみに赤ちゃんは生まれたとき赤いから「赤ちゃん」だそうです😆。

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Wintersweet Fruits are Poisonous😱 蝋梅（ロウバイ）の実は危険😱

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I've written twice about the beautiful buds and flowers of chimonanthus praecox or more commonly known as wintersweet this month, and I was surprised this morning to see such beautiful yellow blooms side by side with the already brown fruits, which look like mantis egg cases.

But that was not it. While googling the fruit, I learned that surprisingly, the entirety of wintersweet, i.e., not only its leaves but also trunk and fruits, is all toxic! OMG, I've been deceived by the pretty appearance and sweet fragrance...😱!    

Chimonanthus praecox's brown fruits and buds side by side 蝋梅の実と蕾

Wintersweet ロウバイ

Winter Buds of Enkianthus Perulatus (White Enkianthus) 灯台躑躅（ドウダンツツジ）の冬芽

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

You think they're flower buds of some plants? If you do, you're wrong as I was😆!

I found these tiny (i.e., less than 1 cm tall) capsule shaped red things two weeks ago in the garden of the Parliamentary Museum in Tokyo. I thought they were some flower buds, so I googled them using the keywords "red," "flower," "bud," "tiny," and "winter," but couldn't identify them. So, a week later, I went to the garden again, then found a tree tag "enkianthus perulatus" on one of the shrubs (the last photo). The enkianthus perulatus is commonly called "white enkianthus." 

But another question came up. The flowers of enkianthus perulatus are white, not red. So, I googled again and learned what I found in the garden weren't "flower" buds but "winter" buds. A winter bud is a dormant plant bud enclosed in a protective covering which enables it to survive during the winter (Lexico). In short, winter buds are the buds of not only flowers, but also leaves and twigs. Now I'm thinking about when to go to the garden again to see how they grow😊.   

Winter buds of enkianthus perulatus on January 15  灯台躑躅の冬芽

Many winter buds of white enkianthus on January 15 トウダイツツジの冬芽

Japanese Plum - Spring Is Not Far Away! 梅 - 春だ！花粉症だ！

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A Japanese apricot tree has started to bloom in my neighborhood! In Japan, the coldest season in the lunisolar calendar has just set in, but seeing plum blossoms always makes me realize spring isn't far away.

Japan is often symbolized by two flowers, chrysanthemum and cherry blossom. The chrysanthemum is a symbol of the Emperor and the Imperial family. And cherry blossoms have been so popular in Japan at least since the Heian period (794-1185) that the term "flower" itself sometimes means cherry blossoms. The popularity of cherry blossoms is also indicated by the fact that Kokin Wakashū (i.e., a collection of Japanese waka poems of ancient and modern times compiled in the Heian period) includes many poems about cherry blossoms. But plum blossoms are as pretty and popular as cherry blossoms! Man'yoshu, i.e., the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry compiled during the Nara period (710-784), includes more poems about plum blossoms😊.

So, the blossoms of whether cherry or plum (or wintersweet!) tell us spring isn't far off, but you know what? They also tell us that the notorious pollen fever season is also coming soon to Japan😂!  

Prunus mume 梅

Japanese plum 梅

Chimonanthus Praecox (Wintersweet) 蝋梅（ロウバイ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the flowers and buds of chimonanthus praecox or more commonly known as wintersweet in my neighborhood. I've been waiting for the buds to open for ten days!

I first saw wintersweet flowers this year in the Hama Rikyu Garden on January 8. Wintersweet trees there had many beautiful yellow flowers, which made me wonder why the trees in my neighborhood had only buds. Since then I'd been watching them almost everyday and finally this morning I found some buds started to bloom. 

Wintersweet trees in my neighborhood are less than one meter tall, far smaller than the trees in the Hama Rikyu Garden, and they're usually shabby through the year but during the period from late January to early February when they show passers-by beautiful waxy yellow blooms😊. 

Winter sweet is called "wax apricot/plum" in Japan because of the wax-like flowers. 

Chimonanthus praecox 蝋梅

Wintersweet ロウバイ

Aucuba Japonica (Japanese Laurel) 青木（アオキ）

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These are the berries of aucuba japonica or more commonly known as Japanese laurel at the Hama Rikyu Garden in Tokyo. Round red fruits are often seen but oval ones are unusual. 

The name "aucuba" is derived from one of its Japanese names "aokiba," meaning "blue leaf" because the leaves and stems are "blue" through the year. Blue? You think I mistook "green" for "blue"?

I didn't! In Japan, people use "blue" for "green." For example, they say "blue" traffic lights and "blue" apples, instead of "green" lights and "green" apples. This is because Japan used to have only four colors, white, black, red and blue, and the then "blue" included green. In "The Man'yoshu," the oldest existing collection of waka or Japanese poetry, compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period (710-784), green leaves were described as "blue" leaves. The color green was differentiated from blue in the 10th century.

The Hama Rikyu Garden, about 62 acres, was built by Tsunashige Tokugawa in 1654 on reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay. The garden was transferred to the Imperial Household Agency in 1870, then to Tokyo in 1945 and opened as a public garden in the following year. You can always enjoy some flowers/plants from cherry blossoms to autumn foliage in the garden.

 Aucuba japonica 青木

Yuki Tsuri - Japanese Way to Protect Trees from Snow 雪吊り（ゆきつり）

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These cone shaped things are "yuki tsuri" at the Hama Rikyu Garden. Yuki tsuri is a Japanese technique to protect trees from heavy snow with straw ropes that are attached to the ends of the tree's longer branches. The technique is commonly seen in the Hokuriku region where it heavily snows, such as Kanazawa city, while in Tokyo where it rarely snows, yuki tsuri functions more as a seasonal decoration. The yuki tsuri, the blue sky and the skyscrapers created a surreal contrast. 

The Hama Rikyu Garden, about 62 acres, was built by Tsunashige Tokugawa in 1654 on reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay. The garden was transferred to the Imperial Household Agency in 1870, then to Tokyo in 1945 and opened as a public garden in the following year. You can always enjoy some flowers/plants from cherry blossoms to autumn foliage in the garden.

Yuki tsuri to protect trees from snow 雪吊り

Prunus Mume cv. Yae Kanko 八重寒紅（ヤエカンコウ）

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These are the flowers of prunus mume cv. "yae kanko" at the Hama Rikyu Garden. It's been a long time since I last saw such colorful flowers.

The flowers are often used for New Year decorations in Japan because they're gorgeous, i.e., double flowered and bright pink, and bloom from mid December to mid January, earlier than other prunus mume, which generally bloom from late January to late April.

The Hama Rikyu Garden, about 62 acres, was built by Tsunashige Tokugawa in 1654 on reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay. The garden was transferred to the Imperial Household Agency in 1870, then to Tokyo in 1945 and opened as a public garden in the following year. You can always enjoy some flowers/plants from cherry blossoms to autumn foliage in the garden. 

Prunus mume cv. yae kanko 八重寒紅

Chimonanthus Praecox (Wintersweet) 蝋梅（ロウバイ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the flowers and buds of Chimonanthus praecox or more commonly known as wintersweet at the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden and the Hama Rikyu Garden in Tokyo. It snowed heavily for Tokyo on January 6, so when I went there on January 8, the gardens still had snow in some parts. The bright yellow color of wintersweet against the blue sky and the white snow was so beautiful. 

Both gardens were built on reclaimed land from Tokyo Bay in the 17th century by an official of the Tokugawa shogunate and one of the Tokugawa Shoguns respectively. But their ownership was both transferred to the Imperial Household Agency in 1875 and 1870 after the end of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, then to Tokyo in 1924 and 1945 respectively and after that, opened as public gardens. 

The two gardens, both in Central Tokyo, are one (or two?) of the must-go places in Tokyo. They're close, i.e., about a 20 minute walk, and you can always enjoy something from cherry blossoms to autumn foliage in both places. The Hama Rikyu Garden is about 62 acres, six times larger than the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden. The admission fee for the bigger garden (i.e., Hama Rikyu Garden) is JPY300 (USD2.6) while that for the smaller one (i.e., Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden) is JPY150 (USD1.3). You can get a JPY50 discount (i.e., JPY400 in total) by paying both fees at once at the entrance of either of the two gardens. 

Wintersweet at Hama Rikyu Garden ロウバイ（浜離宮庭園）

 

Chimonanthus praecox at Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden 蝋梅（旧芝離宮恩賜庭園） 

Wintersweet at Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden ロウバイ（旧芝離宮恩賜庭園）

Sontaku - A Town Where You Can't Have a Dog in Japan 忖度に関する考察 No.4 奈良御霊神社周辺は犬を飼えない？

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Are you considering moving to Japan? And do you have or want to have a dog? If so, you should avoid Yakushido town, i.e., the area around Goryo Jinja shrine, in Nara.

Skimmia Japonica (Japanese Skimmia) 深山樒（ミヤマシキミ）

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These are the flower buds of skimmia japonica or more commonly known as Japanese skimmia. These buds open to tiny fragrant white flowers in March to May, but the leaves and fruits are toxic (containing alkaloids), and this is suggested in the name "skimmia." The term "skimmia" is derived from the Japanese words "ashiki mi," which means "bad fruit."

But the plant has another name "oku ryou" in Japan, meaning 100,000,000 ryou because the fruits are bigger than those of ardisia crenata (Christmas berry), which is called "man ryou" or "10,000 ryou." Ryou is a unit of weight and currency used in Japan and other Asian countries.   

Skimmia japonica 深山樒

Japanese skimmia ミヤマシキミ

Edgeworthia Chrysantha (Oriental Paperbush) 三椏（ミツマタ）

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These are the flower buds of edgeworthia chrysantha or more commonly known as oriental paperbush. The plant is a kigo for early spring. Kigo is a word or phrase associated with a particular season used in traditional forms of Japanese poetry, such as haiku. So for me, oriental paperbush buds always herald the arrival of spring (although it's coldest in January and February in Japan). 

The plant is used to make Japanese paper and bank notes. Because of its importance, oriental paperbush is depreciated over five years as a depreciable asset under Japanese corporate tax law😊.  

Edgeworthia chrysantha 三椏

Mahonia Japonica 柊南天（ヒイラギナンテン）

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The bright yellow color is so beautiful, isn't it? These are the flowers of mahonia japonica. Despite such beauty and the tininess (i.e., 1 cm), however, the flowers mean "increasing love" and, because of the sharply toothed leaves, "intense emotions"!

Mahonia japonica 柊南天

Kuromame (Sweetened Black Soybeans for New Year) 黒豆（クロマメ）

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Japanese people eat osechi dishes at New Year. Osechi dishes are are traditional Japanese New Year foods consisting of a variety of dishes including the following:

• Datemaki, sweet rolled omelet mixed with mashed shrimp. It symbolizes scholarship and culture.
• Kamaboko, broiled fish cake. It symbolizes the rising sun.
• Kazunoko, marinated herring roe, symbolizing a wish for an abundant harvest and fertility. Kazu means "number" and ko means "child."
• Kobumaki, sweet soy-flavored rolled kobu (kelp) stuffed with a piece of salmon. It's associated with the word yorokobu, meaning "joy."
• Tazukuri, dried sardines cooked in soy sauce. It literally means "rice paddy maker," symbolizing a bountiful harvest.
• Zouni, a soup of mochi rice cakes in clear or miso broth.
• Nishime, various vegetables (e.g., Japanese taro, carrot, burdock, lotus root, kelp, shiitake mushroom) simmered in clear broth.  
• Kuromame, black soybeans simmered in sweet and savory sauce, symbolizing a wish for health. Mame means "health." 

This year I made the last three, i.e., zouni, nishime and kuromame, and I took pictures of kuromame because the black color of the beans is so beautiful and it took two days to make it, i.e., one day to soak black beans in water and seven hours to simmer them! But of course, it was worth it!

Many Japanese people make resolutions at New Year. My resolution this year is to make roast beef and apple pie (using a store bought pie crust though)! 

Kuromame, black soybeans simmered in sweet and savory sauce 黒豆

Ardisia Crenata (Christmas Berry) 万両（マンリョウ）

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These are the berries of ardisia crenata or more commonly known as Christmas berry at Atago Jinja shrine in Tokyo. Last December I found beautiful white coral berry (i.e., ardisia crenata f. leucocarpa) in my neighborhood. So this year, I really want to find YELLOW berry ardisia crenata (i.e., ardisia crenata f. xanthocarpa)😊!

Ardisia crenata 万両

Christmas berry マンリョウ

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

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These are the fruits of Euonymus hamiltonianus or more commonly known as Hamilton's spindletree. I once mistook the buds of chocolate vine for these, and since then I'd been wanting to see the fruits of Hamilton's spindletree, and at last, I found these beautiful four lobed pink fruits! If you wonder how the buds and the fruits look like each other, see this! 

Hamilton's spindletree fruits and chocolate vine buds are of almost the same size (i.e., about 2 cm) and four lobed, but the former's pink color is a little brighter. Hamilton's spindletree generally bears fruit in autumn. I was lucky to see them on December 31.   

Euonymus hamiltonianus 檀

Hamilton's spindletree マユミ

2022 is the Year of the Tiger! 今年は寅年だ！

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This is a bell made of clay I bought at Atago Jinja shrine in Tokyo. It's so tiny (3 cm) and you know what? It's a tiger, i.e., the Japanese zodiac sign of 2022. Its worried face is so lovable!

In Japan, people born in the year of the Tiger (i.e., those born in 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, or 2022) are said to have the following personality: 

• Be positive
• Enjoy challenges 
• Have a strong conviction
• Be persistent 
• Be sociable
• Be stubborn 
• Be restless

You think they're true? If not, believe what you want to believe! If you were born in the year of another zodiac sign and want to know your personality, read this post!  

Clay bell in shape of tiger 虎の土鈴