Spring whispers its advent with the fragrant blossoming of the Japanese plum (ume no hana 梅の花). Sturdier and sparser than the cherry, plum blossoms signal the beginning of spring, while cherries signal the end; the plum tree is also smaller and scraggly, often poking not more than a gnarled branch or two over the wall of someone’s garden, yet even from these unlikely sources come the most beautiful blossoms.
In fact, the Japanese plum is more closely related to the apricot (think of the smooth-skinned plums you eat compared with the fuzzy surface of the ume). The fruit is not eaten but is often used to make umeshu (梅酒; sometimes translated as “plum wine”) by steeping green plums in shōchū (焼酎). It is traditional in Japan to make umeshu, store it for so long that it is forgotten, and then finally dispose of it once realizing that no one is ever going to touch the stuff.
While visible from home gardens and at shrines, the best place to view plum blossoms is at Iida maru (飯田丸, pictured below) at the castle, where some 140 trees grow. According to this article, some of the area is still restricted, but there should nonetheless be excellent viewing and photography opportunities. Blossoms are expected to reach full bloom towards late February; one castle employee was quoted as saying, “We’d love people to come view the plum blossoms and to hasten reconstruction.” - William
