Flowers, Flowers, Wisteria, Flowers ~ A Spring in Japan ~ Happy Sunday

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(Edited)

I think I'm a bit late again, but hopefully I can make the cut for this week's (er—last week's) #sublimesunday.

We had a great day here. Kids were in a good mood and we played a lot. It is Golden Week in Japan, so everyone is in a great mood.

"What's Golden Week?" I hear you ask. Good question!

Golden Week

Golden Week is a collection of holidays that all fall very near each other. Most of Japan gets not only the holidays off, but the in between days off too, resulting in an entire week off work. Truly a Golden week!

The exactly holidays are Shōwa day, Constitution Day, Greenery Day, and Children's Day. And again, many people get the days between off as well.

Shōwa Day is in honor of the Shōwa Emperor, who most of you all probably know better as Hirohito. It was his birthday and we are suppose to think about his reign, good and bad, on the day.

Constitution Day is in celebration of the 1947 Constitution of Japan.

Greenery Day is, well, in honor of nature. We are suppose to think about and celebrate nature on this day. The history of this day is a bit confusing.

And Children's Day is in honor of children. It used to be Boy's Day (in contrast to Girl's Day, which is in March), and so some people still celebrate it mainly as a boy's event thing, but these days it is intended for all kids. I'll post a photo or two of some of the things we see on this day in the coming days.

Well, those are the official holidays anyway, but in practice with the exception of Children's Day, most people don't really think too much about the reason for the day—they are days off work, and that is enough.

Flowers

We went to a flower show at the castle. Spring flowers in Japan are something else. About the same as anywhere, I suppose, but they are very coordinated in this country, so the favorite flower of the month blooms everywhere, before moving on to the next. Everyone is familar with the cherry blossoms, with Japan turning pink and white for a few weeks in March/April.

Well, there are other flowers after the cherry blossoms go away!

Perhaps the next big one is the wisteria (藤, fuji). Cities all over Japan have their areas with wisteria around April/May. I've shared a few of these before, but all in one place here are some hints at what you might see here when the wisteria come out.

This is from my own Okazaki City. Near Okazaki Castle is this nice area. Not as large as you will find in bigger cities, but still quite nice.

And this is from Tsushima City, a tiny town outside Nagoya. It is one of the most famous places for wisteria in this area, and you can see why. The entire space for the flowers is enormous—it goes on like this photo for some way.

and here's a few I hadn't shared yet.


Hope you all enjoyed your Sundays. I did!


Hi thereDavid LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.


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3 comments
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The wisteria is astounding. It must be magical to visit those arbors and enjoy their scent and the peacefulness of the reflection ponds.

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@jayna It really is. When I have time, I will just sit and relax under there.

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This post has received a 100.00% upvote from @fambalam! Join thealliance community to get whitelisted for delegation to this community service.

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