Thanks to the cold weather in the early spring, Someiyoshino (そめいよしの, a breed of cherry blossom) this year lasted very long, and many poeple enjoyed it. Someiyoshino blossom quickly falls once their prime is over, yet we Japanese regard the way it falls as very graceful. Many of us reminise the brief but heavenly moment with Someiyoshino until the next spring.

Now, the late-flowering spring plants are blooming and I enjoyed viewing them the other day.

Among the many, I especially liked Ukon-sakura (鬱金桜, double petaled yellow cherry) and Gyoiko (御衣黄, yellow-green flower named after the attire of noble people in the old times). They were so pretty.

Shakunage (石楠花, rosebay) is a signature flower of the early summer in Japan, but they were already blooming in lovely pink. Yamabuki (山吹, Japanese globeflower) in fresh deep yellow, also represents this season. The ones in Matsuo Taisha (松尾大社), a long established shrine in Kyoto, are very famous. The flowers were blooming vividly in the premises.

Truely, sping is the treasury of flowers. If you’re feeling fancy free, or feeling low, please try visit flowery places.

Akane Kibune
Kyoto Expert Certificate 1st Grade

Access to Matsuo Taisha:
5 mins. on foot from Matsuo Taisha Mae, Kyoto city bus
4 mins. on foot from Matsuo Taisha, Hankyu line

#flowersinKyoto #Japaneseculture #Kyotoexpertcertification