If you are looking for a quiet place to view the ume, or plum blossoms, and you are visiting Yamanashi prefecture, Furouen in Sakaori would be a fine choice.

The festival is held from Saturday, February 11th – Sunday, March 5th in peak plum blossom season.

The Jindai Plum Festival is a beautiful festival that boasts a lot of pungent deep pink fully blossomed plum trees.

Ume fruits are a preventive food item which has antibacterial properties that can help to soothe the digestive system. It can be consumed in many different ways which all are really delectable.

Although it is still pretty cold these days, the first signs of spring are to be seen in many parts of Japan. Apart from the famous cherry blossoms (aka sakura) plum blossoms are a real treat to the eye as well.

In Japan, plum blossoms mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring. There are many famous spots to view the beautiful red, pink and white plum blossoms.

Bizen City is about an hour’s drive to the east of Okayama City. According to some Japanese friends, it’s apparently an uninteresting place to live. But it’s definitely great for sightseeing because even an Okayama City resident like me would go there almost every season.

Plum blossoms or ume (梅) as they are called in Japan were first introduced to Japan from China. They start to bloom during the peak of winter in February here in central Japan which is still a very cold time, but they signal the start of spring and the promise of warmer days ahead.