Plants and Flowers in Tokyo & Japanese Culture by Kei Narujima　東京の草花＆つぶやき - なるじまけい

Hi! I'm Kei Narujima. This is a blog about flowers, plants, and bugs I saw in CENTRAL Tokyo, and sometimes art and Japanese culture that bring you a smile or make you think (or so I hope)!! こんにちは。花や虫、そして時々日本の文化などについて書いてます😊。税務英語については https://zeimueigo.blogspot.com/ をご覧ください。

Fish Mint (Houttuynia Cordata)　ドクダミ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Fish mint (Houttuynia cordata) is invasive and smelly but its color contrast between the green yellow spike, the white bracts surrounding it, and the deep green leaves (whose edge is red) is so beautiful and always attracts me.

I have a good memory of fish mint. My late maternal grandma, who ran a small Japanese green tea shop after her husband (i.e., my maternal grandpa) had died, often sent fish mint tea to me, who was suffering serious acne at that time.

Fish mint tea is known for curing acne in Japan. It didn't taste good and I didn't like it, but I was so desperate that I drank the tea as many times as possible. My acne problem hadn't been cured until a skin doctor applied special treatment, but I'm pretty sure that the fish mint tea grandma gave me improved my skin condition!

Fish mint's English and Japanese names both don't describe its prettiness or medical efficacy, but even so, when passing by the flowers, I always feel warm and encouraged by Grandma, who lost her husband in her early 30s and after that raised her four daughters by herself, and maybe because of that, who was too busy to smile. Her favorite line was, "What's inside counts most!" When seeing fish mint I always ask myself what's inside of me.

2025/5/30

Double Flowered Fish Mint　八重咲きのドクダミ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are double-flowered fish mints (Houttuynia cordata var. Plenus). Single flowered fish mints are everywhere at this time of year, but not double-flowered ones. I've found only two places where double-flowered ones are growing in my neighborhood.

2025/5/18

2024/6/20

Slug, Caterpillar, Beetle, and Snail & Anpanman and Einstein　小さな生き物たちとアインシュタイン

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It's not rainy season yet in Tokyo, but I often see slugs and snails these days and today two slugs in Half Lord of the Fishes pose (1st and 2nd photos)!!

The other photos are of caterpillars, beetles, and snails at Mukojima Hyakkaen Garden. Looking at these small things reminded me of a very famous Japanese song titled "Tenohira wo taiyo ni (Holding up your hand to the sunlight)" because the song is about every living thing, i.e., mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects.

The lyrics were written by Takashi Yanase, best known as the creator of the anime series "Anpanman." I didn't see why "Anpanman" was so popular among children and the song "Holding up...." was still sung by many people, but knowing his background as a veteran of WW2 and his experience in overcoming a series of diseases, I see why he could create such great manga and lyrics.

Those with experience of war including Yanase and my grandfathers and grandmothers, are mostly dead while those with no such experience trying to amend Japanese constitution to be able to use military force for purposes other than self-defense, but Japanese need to do something before amending the constitution, i.e., improving IT and English literacy. Albert Einstein said, "A clever person solves a problem while a wise person avoids it." I couldn't agree more.

2025/5/28

Solutions Vary - Definition of Happiness　米価格高騰の解決策？！

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Rice prices are soaring in Japan. The average price for 5 kilograms of rice is nearly or even higher than JPY5,000, more than double the price at the same time last year.

Hollyhock (Alcea Rosea)　立葵（タチアオイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are hollyhocks. I was lucky to have a chance to photograph white, pink and red ones at the same time. Hollyhocks are called "tachi aoi" in Japanese, which translates to "standing mallow" and mallows have a special connotation in Japan.

"Mitsuba aoi," which translates to "three leafed mallow," is the crest of the Tokugawa clan, who ruled Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). This is known nationwide even now because of a long run "samurai" television program about Mitsukuni Tokugawa (1628-1701), one of the grandchildren of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. This period drama was aired initially from 1969 to 2011 and is still rerun now.

In the drama, Mitsukuni travels throughout the country incognito to discover and investigate injustice and in the end defeats and punishes corrupt samurai and merchants. At the end of each episode, Mitsukuni (or more specifically, one of his two samurai retainers) brandishes an "inro" pillbox with the "three leafed mallow" crest to reveal Mitsukuni's identity, i.e., a member of the Tokugawa clan. (By the way, although Mitsukuni existed and was a relation of the shogun, the drama episodes are all fictional.)

Interestingly, however, the Tokugawa clan's crest is not "three leafed mallow" actually but Asarum caulescens Maxim., which is a very plain, two-leafed or heart shaped plant. The Tokugawa clan's crest, three-leafed mallow, is said to be modeled on this plain plant.

Then, another question comes up. Why did someone who wanted to rule the country choose such a plain plant as their crest? One website says that many samurai clans during the age of warring states (1467-1615) chose plain plants as their crests to show that they were strong and hardy enough to survive in such harsh circumstances as these plants were.

2025/5/27

Java Waterdropwort (Oenanthe Javanica)　セリ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is Java waterdropwort (Oenanthe javanica). The plant is aromatic and edible in its entirety including the roots. One of my favorite recipes is ohitashi, i.e., boiling and seasoning them with bonito dashi stock and soy sauce.

2024/6/24

East Asian Mallotus (Mallotus Japonicus)　アカメガシワ（赤芽柏）

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These are female flowers of East Asian mallotus (Mallotus japonicus). East Asian mallotus trees are dioecious, which means this tree is female. In two months, they will produce clusters of fruits and seeds.

2025/5/24

Hydrangea Serrata Var. Yesoensis F. Cuspidata Cv.　四季咲き姫紫陽花（シキザキヒメアジサイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv., a type of mountain hydrangeas. Their Japanese name is "shikizaki hime ajisai," which translates to "hydrangea blooming all year round." As the name suggests, the hydrangeas bloom for a longer period, i.e., the six months from June to December (not throughout the year though). Their another feature is that the blooms change color at different pace one by one, resulting in various shades of pink, blue and purple. Below are the shots of various hydrangeas. Hope you enjoy them, too!

Purple and pink lacecap hydrangeas

Pink mophead hydrangea

Colorful tea of heaven (Hydrangea serrata)

Kurenai lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata var. 'Kurenai')

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Pink lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis)

Tea of heaven 'Mikata-yae' (blue Hydrangea serrata)

Nettle-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea hirta)

2023/5/28

White Mountain Hydrangeas　白のヤマアジサイ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The color of hydrangeas varies from red, pink, and purple to green and white like this bloom. White hydrangeas may be plain to you but show their own beauty when looked closely, such as their pale green to cream colored fertile flowers (in the center part).

2025/5/24

2025/5/23

Hydrangea Serrata Var. 'Kurenai'　紅山紫陽花（クレナイヤマアジサイ）

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A kurenai hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata var. 'Kurenai') started to bud in early May and at that time the sepals (not petals!) were white, so I wasn't certain if they would really turn red as suggested by the name kurenai, which means red, until actually seeing the sepals tinged with pink in mid-May (1st to 3rd photos). And now in late May, the bloom has turned red! The last photo is of a dying one. Surprisingly, the sepals are much redder than those in full bloom.

2025/5/25

2025/5/23

Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Red to Pink　赤からピンクに変わるガクジアジサイ（額紫陽花）

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Hydrangeas change color in various ways. This bloom was red in early May (last two photos) but has turned pinkish and then deep pink. Lacecap/mountain hydrangeas are pleasing double with the color change of sterile flowers (sepals) and fertile flowers (in the center). Fertile flowers are non-showy at first like those in the last two photos but turn gorgeous like the tiny stars in the 2nd photo!

2025/5/28

2025/5/22

2025/5/23

2025/5/22

Spotted Bellflower (Campanula Punctata)　ホタルブクロ（蛍袋）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are spotted bellflowers (Campanula punctata). The flower in the third photo is before opening and those in the first and second photos are after. The plant's name in Japanese is "hotaru bukuro," which translates to "firefly pouch bag" because children used to play with the flowers by putting fireflies into them. A firefly in a spotted bellflower must have been so beautiful although it must have been horrifying for claustrophobic fireflies.

2025/5/21

2025/5/22

2025/5/21

2025/5/23

Pink Hydrangea　ピンクの紫陽花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Hydrangeas are flowers of various colors and the colors change. These are two types of pink hydrangea blooms.

2025/5/20

GREEN Fish Mint (Houttuynia Cordata Var. Plenus)　緑の八重咲きドクダミ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I saw double-flowered fish mint (Houttuynia cordata var. Plenus) for the first time last year and a green one for the first time yesterday! Can you believe that? Fish mints can be double-flowered and also GREEN. Single flowered fish mints are everywhere at this time of year, but not double-flowered ones. I've found only two places where double-flowered ones are growing and only one green fish mint in my neighborhood.

2025/5/23

2025/5/18

Blue Mophead Hydrangeas　青い紫陽花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Hydrangeas attract not only people but bumblebees! These hydrangeas were cream at first but have turned bluish and are still changing. If you like hydrangeas, read the following posts:

- Pink and purple lacecap hydrangea

- Oakleaf hydrangea

- Red lacecap hydrangea

- Pink hydrangea

- White hydrangea

2025/5/18

2025/5/16

Rescue Grass (Bromus catharticus)　イヌムギ（犬麦）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I've been writing about plants in Tokyo for several years, so I rarely find a new plant these days. Therefore, finding something tiny hanging from spikelets made me say WOW. They're flowers of rescue grass (Bromus catharticus). Rescue grass is native to America and came to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868 - 1912).

The plant is called "inu mugi," which translates to "dog wheat," because the plant resembles wheat but is not edible, i.e., useless. In Japan, the term "inu (dog)" is often used derogatorily, i.e., for something which resembles a useful thing but is different or inferior to it or something useless, like the following:

Inu jini, translating to a dog death, meaning a useless death
Inu houzuki, translating to dog ground cherry, meaning black nightshade, whose flowers resemble ground cherry but which is useless
Inu, translating to an informant, a snitch, a rat

I did research on why but couldn't find any good explanation.

2025/5/16

2025/5/15

Red Roses Out Of Place　場違いな赤いバラ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I'm not interested in roses very much. They're beautiful but too gorgeous to take up for this blog. But this rose tree, which is now in full bloom, caught my eye. Just by itself, in front of an old building, it seemed a bit out of place to me. I also wonder who has planted and taken care of it.

2025/5/16

Toad Lily (Tricyrtis Formosana)　タイワンホトトギス（台湾杜鵑草）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Hang in there, buddy! The snail was like in the second and third photos yesterday and in the first photo this morning. The flower it was holding onto is a toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana). The plant is said to flower from August to September but I've come to believe toad lilies flower throughout the year because I saw them today (i.e., in May) but in December last year and in September the year before.

The plant is named after spots on a toad's skin and its preference of shady, moist places like toads. In Japan, however, the toad lily is called "hototogisu," which translates into "lesser cuckoo," also after its spots, which, to Japanese people, look like the chest plumage of the bird. Perception varies.

2025/5/16

2025/5/15 From above

2025/5/15 From side

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