Exploring Kumamoto, Japan

After the rain, I took a walk around Kumamoto Castle. Grasses on the Sunayakushi-zaka slope looked very heavy with water drops on their heads. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/mLH7LrC7LZtrBw6B7 Walking to the Plum Gerden, the plum trees were covered with fresh greenery and had changed their appearance! Please compare it with the photos from around April 7th in this link . Plum fruits have grown considerably. I looked around the garden, but I didn't see many plums. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/LRtHxNDqNYuLVS1W8 Kumamoto Castle seen from Miyuki-Zaka slope. Kumamoto Castle can barely be seen through the greenery. Location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/7oEeCAeByGmA9zqn6 A tourist was taking pictures of Kumamoto Castle at the same place as I was. Descending the slope from the plum garden and reaching the intersection with the Kumamoto City Tram street, you will find a rowan tree on the corner. Around this time of year, it blooms with beautiful flowers. Location: https://ma...

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.