Baby plums in the plum garden of Kumamoto Castle

-

The plum blossoms in Kumamoto, which bloomed 22 days later than average, reached full bloom in early March(See this blog).

About a month later, in the first week of April, the cherry blossoms in full bloom became the main topic of conversation in Kumamoto City.
A few days ago (April 2, 2025), we visited the plum garden of Kumamoto Castle.

The plum trees, in contrast to the cherry blossoms, were either full of leaves or left with only bare branches.


Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LRtHxNDqNYuLVS1W8

When we got closer to one of the leafy trees and took a closer look, we found tiny baby plums beginning to grow.


On a different tree of another variety, baby plums with a reddish hue were growing.

Last year (2024), due to the mild winter, it seems that the plum harvest in Japan was quite poor.
We hope for a bountiful harvest.
　
Location: 日本、熊本県熊本市

Popular posts from this blog

Spring at the Former Residence of Hosokawa Gyobu

-
Image
The former residence of Hosokawa Gyobu is now covered in fresh greenery. Currently, it is closed to the public due to restoration work from the Kumamoto earthquake. I've heard it will be several more years before it reopens to the public. The following photos were taken from outside the restricted area. We can't enter the residence, but even just viewing the fresh greenery from outside will likely soothe us. Location: 32.80899689664447, 130.7001988264828 ========= Supplementary information: On November 22, 2023, the former residence of Hosokawa Gyobu, which was at its peak of autumn foliage, was illuminated and opened to the public. The following two photos show how it looked at that time. The residence will be closed to the public until the restoration work from the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake is completed in the 2028 fiscal year. For the next four years, such illuminations will be on hold.  
Read more

Clear Mt. Kinpo-san and small birds

-
Image
I retire at the end of March 2024. During my current position, I have been blogging and documenting my laboratory for about 20 years. From April, I will start to introduce Kumamoto City and its suburbs by writing this blog with photos and videos I took during my walks. April 1, my first day of retirement, was a beautiful sunny day. I took my grandchildren to Mt.Kinpo-san. Location of Mt.Kinpo: 32.813766575749796, 130.63864097027087 Many people climb the mountain on foot, but since we had small grandchildren with us, we drove to the top of the mountain. There are parking spaces for about 20 cars near the summit. View from the summit. Clear skies. Unzen Fugendake  could be seen over the Ariake Sea. I have been using peanuts to interact with (wild) small birds. It was more than 20 years ago that I learned that the small birds on Mt. Kinpo-san perch on human hands for peanuts. Today, the little birds came again. In the photo, can you see the little bird trying to get the peanut on my h...
Read more

Cherry blossoms in Kumamoto City, beginning to fall

-
Image
The cherry blossoms in Kumamoto City, which had remained in full bloom for a long time, gradually began to fall as April began Cherry blossoms at San-no-maru Park 2025/4/3(Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LgSmaKrAn2B93puU6 ) In the evening, the wind grew stronger, and cherry blossom petals were dancing like a snowstorm at San-no-maru Park. 2025/4/2 (Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/o9uiZSzaSfUxgb8q8 ) Cherry Blossoms Beginning to Fall at San-no-maru Park (4K Video) The row of cherry trees below San-no-maru No. 2 Parking Lot isn’t very crowded. It might be a hidden gem for cherry blossom viewing. 2025/4/3(Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KoS3vLSismnTMdgb7 ) Let's explore inside Kumamoto Castle. The cherry blossoms and Kumamoto Castle viewed from Miyuki-zaka slope. During this time of year, Miyukizaka is extremely crowded with tourists during the day. 2025/4/2(Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/P572RDLeEr7WPXJFA ) 2025/4/2 The cherry tree-lined path of Hokke-zaka slope . The ch...
Read more