英語の後に日本語が続きます。
It's snowing in Central Tokyo, which is unusual and fun!
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| 2026/2/8 Weeping Japanese apricot 枝垂れ梅 |
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| 2026/2/8 |
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| 2026/2/8 Sasanqua camellia 山茶花 |
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| 2026/2/8 Wintersweet 蝋梅 |
Plants in the Snow 雪の日の花たち
Double-Flowered White Camellia Sasanqua (Sasanqua Camellia) 八重咲きの真っ白のサザンカ（山茶花）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Camellia sasanqua is native to, and can be found across, Japan. So if you're in Tokyo at this time of year, you would see camellia sasanqua trees in many places but when it comes to the double flowered pure white ones, I guess not so often. The pink ones are the most prevalent, followed by red. I've been able to find only this tree so far with pure white blooms in my neighborhood.
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| 2025/12/18 |
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| 2025/12/17 |
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| 2024/12/26 |
Pink Camellia Sasanqua (Sasanqua Camellia) ピンクの山茶花（サザンカ）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The sasanqua camellia is native to, and can be found across, Japan. It produces flowers from October to December (as opposed to the camellia japonica, which flowers from February to April). The color varies from white to pink and red and so does the layering, single to multi-flowered, and the combination of the pink color and the multi-layering like in these photos makes the blooms look so gorgeous.
The blooms of sasanqua camellia and those of the Japanese camellia resemble each other but they're different in several ways, one of which is how a flower dies. A sasanqua flower dies with petals falling off one by one while a Japanese camellia flower falls off in its entirety.
The sasanqua camellia is native to, and can be found across, Japan. It produces flowers from October to December (as opposed to the camellia japonica, which flowers from February to April). The color varies from white to pink and red and so does the layering, single to multi-flowered, and the combination of the pink color and the multi-layering like in these photos makes the blooms look so gorgeous.
The blooms of sasanqua camellia and those of the Japanese camellia resemble each other but they're different in several ways, one of which is how a flower dies. A sasanqua flower dies with petals falling off one by one while a Japanese camellia flower falls off in its entirety.
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| 2024/12/20 |
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| 2024/12/20 |
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| 2025/12/12 |
Single-Flowered White Sasanqua Camellia 一重の白い山茶花
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The sasanqua camellia is native to, and can be found across, Japan. It produces flowers from October to December (as opposed to the camellia japonica, which flowers from February to April). The color varies from white to pink and red and so does the layering, single to multi-flowered. The blooms in this post are single-flowered white (pink-edged) and you would relatively easily run into such blooms in Tokyo in not a few places. Single flowered camellia sasanquas may be less gorgeous but are as beautiful as the double flowered ones.
The sasanqua camellia is native to, and can be found across, Japan. It produces flowers from October to December (as opposed to the camellia japonica, which flowers from February to April). The color varies from white to pink and red and so does the layering, single to multi-flowered. The blooms in this post are single-flowered white (pink-edged) and you would relatively easily run into such blooms in Tokyo in not a few places. Single flowered camellia sasanquas may be less gorgeous but are as beautiful as the double flowered ones.
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| 2025/12/1 |
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| 2025/12/1 |
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| 2025/12/1 |
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| 2025/11/8 |
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| 2024/11/9 |
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| 2024/11/9 |
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| 2024/11/9 |
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| 2023/12/17 |
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山茶花は日本原産。秋から冬になるとあちこちで見られます。白、ピンク、赤の花が一重や八重で咲き、色も形も様々です。この記事の山茶花は一重咲きで、八重咲きと比べると地味目ですが、深い緑の中に浮かび上がる白には幽玄の美しさを感じます。
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Pink and White Marbled Sasanqua Camellia 源平咲きの山茶花
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua) are native to Japan and can be found across Japan. The plant produces white, pink, and red flowers from October to December, earlier than Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), which is one of the differences between the two camellias.
Sasanqua camellias (Camellia sasanqua) are native to Japan and can be found across Japan. The plant produces white, pink, and red flowers from October to December, earlier than Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica), which is one of the differences between the two camellias.
These two camellias resemble each other and experts provide several ways to distinguish them. One is the size of trees and another the timing of flowering, but the most interesting difference is how they fall or die. Sasanqua flowers die with petals falling off one by one while when Japanese camellia flowers die, the flower heads fall off in their entirety and this way of dying was associated with beheaded human heads in the Edo (samurai) period. Naturally, despite its beauty, the Japanese camellia was unpopular among samurai. If you're interested in such "beheaded" camellias, read this post!
If you're interested in other marble colored flowers, read the following posts!
- Pink and white marble colored Japanese apricot
- Red and white marble colored flowering peach
- Pink and white variegated bush clover
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| 2025/11/1 |
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| 2023/12/25 |
Camellia Fruits (Camellia Japonica and Camellia Sasanqua) 椿と山茶花の実
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Camellia trees in my neighborhood have started fruit and one of the differences between the Camellia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua is the fruit.
Camellia trees in my neighborhood have started fruit and one of the differences between the Camellia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua is the fruit.
Japanese people love Camellia so much that they talk a lot about how to distinguish between "japonica" and "sasanqua." One way to tell is to look at the size and skin of their fruits. Also, a Camellia japonica fruit is bigger (i.e., about 5 cm in diameter) with a glossy skin while a Camellia sasanqua one is about 3 cm and hairy.
Camellia japonica and sasanqua are both the prefectural/city/town flower of many prefectures and municipalities in Japan, and the Camellia japonica is surprisingly the Alabama state flower.
If you're interested in another (easy!) way to tell the Camellia japonica from the Camellia sasanqua, read THIS post, too!!
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| 2025/7/10 Camellia japonica |
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| 2021/8/5 Camellia JAPONICA, no hair, 5 cm in diameter 椿の実はツルツルで直径5センチ |
Camellia Sasanqua and Omikuji
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
This is not a post about a white double flowered camellia sasanqua but pieces of paper tied to the tree. They're omikuji or Japanese fortune telling paper slips. You can buy one (2nd photo) in almost every shrine and temple to learn if you have good or bad luck in the year, for example, as follows:
This is not a post about a white double flowered camellia sasanqua but pieces of paper tied to the tree. They're omikuji or Japanese fortune telling paper slips. You can buy one (2nd photo) in almost every shrine and temple to learn if you have good or bad luck in the year, for example, as follows:
- Very lucky (大吉; dai kichi)
- Lucky (吉; kichi)
- A little lucky (小吉; shō kichi)
- Good luck in future (末吉; sue kichi)
- Bad luck (凶; kyō)
Each omikuji also tells you about the fortune about specific matters including the following:
Even if you draw an omikuji saying bad luck, don't worry because you can keep the bad luck within the premises of the shrine or temple by tying the slip to a designated area (e.g., a tree). If the slip says you're (very/a little) lucky, however, you can keep it in your purse or bag to keep the luck with you or tie it to the designated area so that the fortune has a greater effect.
- Wish
- Person waited for
- Lost item
- Travel
- Business
- Study
- Investment
- Dispute
- (Romantic) relationship
- Move
- Childbirth
- Illness
- Marriage
The slip I drew says that I will have good luck in future, i.e., sue kichi, which is not so good but that's okay because the "wish" section says that although taking a bit of time, my wish will come true.
By the way, I'm atheist.
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| Omikuji or Japanese fortune telling paper for 2025 |
White Camellia Sasanqua (Japanese Camellia) 白い山茶花
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are Camellia sasanqua or more commonly known as Japanese camellia at Atago Jinja shrine. Japanese camellias are in bloom in many places in Tokyo, including these white ones, and the bright pink and white and pink marble ones in my neighborhood.
These are Camellia sasanqua or more commonly known as Japanese camellia at Atago Jinja shrine. Japanese camellias are in bloom in many places in Tokyo, including these white ones, and the bright pink and white and pink marble ones in my neighborhood.
Red Camellia sasanqua flowers mean "modesty" and "you're the most beautiful." The pink ones represent "eternal love" and the white ones are a symbol of "charming" and "you reject my love."
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| White Camellia sasanqua 白い山茶花 |
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| White Japanese camellia 白いサザンカ |
Pale Pink Camellia Sasanqua (Sasanqua Camellia) 薄ピンクの山茶花（サザンカ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are Camellia sasanqua or more commonly sasanqua camellia in my neighborhood. A week ago, I wrote about white and pink marble sasanqua. The camellia season has come.
These are Camellia sasanqua or more commonly sasanqua camellia in my neighborhood. A week ago, I wrote about white and pink marble sasanqua. The camellia season has come.
Sasanqua camellia flowers resemble those of Japanese camellia, but their blooming season and fruits are completely different. Sasanqua camellia starts to flower earlier, i.e., from October, and the fruits are hairy while Japanese camellia starting to flower from December and the fruits being bigger with no hair. Read this post to see the different fruits!
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| Camellia sasanqua 山茶花 |
Pink Camellia Sasanqua ピンクの山茶花
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Scattered bright pink camellia sasanqua flowers on the ground first caught my eye. Then, a horsefly so absorbed in having breakfast on a flower made me smile. It's the blooming season of camellia sasanqua (not camellia japonica!), but a sasanqua tree with so many flowers on not only the tree but the ground is rare.
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| Camellia sasanqua and a horsefly 山茶花とアブ |
Hasty Camellia Sasanqua せっかちな山茶花
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
The camellia season has begun! This is the first camellia sasanqua flower I saw this morning and was the only flower in bloom surrounded by many buds and seeds. If it were late November, I'd write about its beautiful pale pink color, but because now it's still October, I couldn't help but smile about its hastiness, which is also a characteristic of mine😆
The camellia season has begun! This is the first camellia sasanqua flower I saw this morning and was the only flower in bloom surrounded by many buds and seeds. If it were late November, I'd write about its beautiful pale pink color, but because now it's still October, I couldn't help but smile about its hastiness, which is also a characteristic of mine😆
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| 10/29 Camellia sasanqua 山茶花 |
Camellia Japonica/Sasanqua Seeds Look Like Chocolates😋 椿と山茶花の種はチョコみたい😋
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are camellia japonica and camellia sasanqua seeds. In August, I enjoyed glossy red camellia japonica fruits and hairy camellia sasanqua fruits, and at that time I didn't expect these fruits to crack, showing such beautiful seeds like dark chocolate (i.e., camellia JAPONICA) and macadamia nut chocolate (camellia SASANQUA)😋!
Camellia seeds can produce oil (i.e., tea seed oil) used for skin and hair in Japan. The oil has been used for so long that The Shoku Nihongi, i.e., an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text, says that Japan gave the oil to an ambassador from Balhae, a multi-ethnic kingdom in Manchuria, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East, in 777. Wow!
These are camellia japonica and camellia sasanqua seeds. In August, I enjoyed glossy red camellia japonica fruits and hairy camellia sasanqua fruits, and at that time I didn't expect these fruits to crack, showing such beautiful seeds like dark chocolate (i.e., camellia JAPONICA) and macadamia nut chocolate (camellia SASANQUA)😋!
Camellia japonica and sasanqua are both the prefectural/city/town flower of many prefectures and municipalities in Japan, and camellia japonica is surprisingly the Alabama state flower😲
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| Camellia JAPONICA seed looks like dark chocolate 椿の種はダークチョコ |
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| Camellia SASANQUA seed is like macadamia nut chocolate 山茶花の種はマカダミアチョコ？ |
Claustrophobia and Claustrophilia - Camellia Sasanqua 閉所恐怖と閉所愛好 - 山茶花
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
A colleague of mine has claustrophobia. He avoids crowded elevators and trains, which is pretty difficult in Tokyo, but this ant seems to be trapped voluntarily in the center of this pink camellia sasanqua....
A colleague of mine has claustrophobia. He avoids crowded elevators and trains, which is pretty difficult in Tokyo, but this ant seems to be trapped voluntarily in the center of this pink camellia sasanqua....
White and Pink Camellia Sasanqua 白とピンクの山茶花
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Flowers tell us a change in season, and these white and pink Camellia sasanqua told me that autumn would soon be over...
Flowers tell us a change in season, and these white and pink Camellia sasanqua told me that autumn would soon be over...
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| White Camellia sasanqua 白い山茶花 |
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White-Banded Hunter Hawkmoth (Theretra Oldenlandiae) セスジスズメ（背筋雀）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 Impatiens hawkmoths or white-banded hunter hawkmoths (Theretra oldenlandia) can be found across Japan. Their caterpillars are...
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英語の後に日本語が続きます。 This is the best shot I could get. It's a female Joro spider, I think. I noticed her spider web first several months ago ... -
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 I often mistake horseflies for bees, but I believe this is a bee, maybe a bumblebee!!?? If so, it's my first time to see ...