Harlequin Glorybower (Clerodendrum Trichotomum) 臭木（クサギ）

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Harlequin glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing flowers from July to September and fruits from October to November. Its Japanese name is "kusagi," which translates into "smelly tree," after its stems and leaves are smelly. Its fruits are blue, surrounded by red calyxes in autumn, which forms a beautiful stark color contrast.  

2026/7/26

2021/9/6

White-Tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum Albistylum) シオカラトンボ（塩辛蜻蛉）

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White-tailed skimmers (Orthetrum albistylum) are found across Asia and Russia. Males and females can be distinguished by color. Males are bluish while females are yellowish. The thing is young males are also yellowish, which makes it difficult to distinguish young males from females. 

White-tailed skimmer dragonflies are called "shiokara tombo" in Japanese, which translates into "salty dragonfly," after their white powdery substance developed on their abdomen.

2026/7/26  Female

2022/8/13  Male

Lithocarpus Edulis (Japanese Stone Oak) 馬刀葉椎（マテバシイ）

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The Japanese stone oak (Lithocarpus edulis) is native to Japan and can be found across the country. The nuts are edible, tasting like chestnuts when baked (according to a website).  

In Japan, the nuts of Fagaceae trees, one of which is the Japanese stone oak, are collectively called "donguri" and there's a famous song for children about an acorn falling into a pond "Donguri korokoro (i.e., Rolling acorn)."    

The tree's Japanese name is "mateba shii," which translates into "a tree becoming a chinquapin tree soon," because people prefer(ed) chinquapin nuts to the Japanese stone oak nuts.

2026/7/26

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Balloon Vine (Cardiospermum Halicacabum) 風船蔓（フウセンカズラ）

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The balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum) is native to tropical and subtropical regions, came to Japan during the Meiji era (1868-1912), and is now grown for ornamental purposes across the country. As its name suggests, the balloon vine is known for its balloon shaped fruits but you shouldn't miss its tiny white flowers or dark brown seeds with heart-shaped white spots on them, which are so sweet (scroll down)!

When I was photographing the flowers, the owner came out to give me the seeds. I put them in a pot at home, hoping they come up. 

2026/7/14

Panicled Hydrangea (Hydrangea Paniculata) ノリウツギ（糊空木）

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The panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan. The hydrangea look to me resembling oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), so I often mistook the latter for panicled hydrangeas and this is my first time seeing the panicled one still in bloom. 

The panicled hydrangea's Japanese name is "nori utsugi," which translates into "glue Deutzia," after their inner bark being used before to make a natural adhesive for washi, i.e., Japanese paper, and their stems resembling those of Deutzia. 

2026/7/15

Fig (Ficus Carica) イチジク（無花果）

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Fig (Ficus carica) is native to west Asia, came to Japan either in the 1590s through Father Diogo de Mesquita, a Portuguese Jesuit who came to Japan in the 16th century as a missionary, or in around 1630 through China. Its flowers are hidden, growing inside the pear-shaped structure. This is the origin of its Japanese name "無花果," which translates into "no flower fruit." A fig fruit, however, is actually not a fruit but inverted flowers😮.

2026/7/10

Plumbago Auriculata (Blue Plumbago) 瑠璃茉莉（ルリマツリ）

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Blue plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) is native to South Africa, was introduced to Japan during the Meiji era (1868-1912) for ornamental purposes, and can now be found across the country, producing blue and white flowers from May to November. 

2026/7/14

Japanese Camellia (Camellia Japonica) ツバキ（椿）

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A fruit of Japanese camellia. Japanese camellia blooms resemble sasanqua camellia blooms very much but their fruits do not. In autumn, this should look like chocolates.

2026/7/15

2023/11/6

Potato Vine (Solanum Laxum) ツルハナナス（蔓花茄子）

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The potato vine (Solanum laxum) is native to South America, came to Japan during the Taisho era (1912-1926) for ornamental purposes, and can now be found across Japan. Its Japanese name is "tsuru hana nasu," which translates into "vine flower eggplant," after the resemblance of its flowers to those of eggplants. Eggplant or potato? It's so confusing. 

2026/7/14

Loquat (Eriobotrya Japonica) 枇杷（ビワ）

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The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is native to China, came to Japan from the 6th to 8th century and is now grown in warm regions, such as Nagasaki and Chiba prefectures. The plant produces flowers from November to February and fruits from May to June. The fruits are orange and shaped like a Chinese lute or pipa (枇杷), which is why the plant is called "pipa" in Chinese while "biwa" in Japanese, both are written in the same Chinese characters but pronounced differently. Although the flowers are plain, the fruits are so orange, and sweet and juicy that the trees in my neighborhood produce many fruits every year but I've never had a chance to taste them.  

By the way, loquats always bring back fond memories of my childhood.

When I was a second-grader, I lived in a town in southern Japan where there were many wild Amanatsu orange and loquat trees. One day my baby brother and I decided to go on a loquat picnic - just the two of us. I got up early and prepared lunch boxes, and after breakfast, we left home for a place with many loquat trees a few kilometers away. As soon as we got there, we started picking these orange fruits, and after that, had lunch there while talking about the harvest that day, i.e., about 20 fresh big loquats, and brought them home.

Looking back, however, something is bugging me. Were these loquat trees wild? Might they be planted trees in a loquat farm? I remember a couple of people there staring at us, not saying anything.

Now I'm pretty sure that that was a loquat farm and they were loquat farmers who were kind and generous enough to let local kids pick the loquats they'd grown without saying anything. I no longer remember exactly where that was, but these orange round fruits always remind me of this small adventure.

2025/11/28