It's getting warmer and warmer and we can finally feel the arrival of spring!
We took a trip to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine’s Ume Plum Garden, which opened on Friday, February the 8th!
In this ume plum garden, an incredible 1,500 plum trees of 50 different species are in bloom! That's amazing! With our hearts full of excitement as to what kind of wonderful sites we might see, we left off!
When you get off at the bus stop called "Kitano Tenmangu Mae", a huge torii gate appears right in front of you! Banners that say "梅苑公開" or "Ume Garden Open" in English, have been put up around the place.
If you look to the side when passing through the torii gate, you will see that there are images of plum blossoms on the base of the guardian lion-dogs too!
I guess Kitano Tenmangu Shrine is known for its plum trees, right?
As you walk along the pathway approaching the shrine, you will see different stalls. While almost losing in to the temptation of the food, we somehow made it inside the shrine (haha).
You’ll immediately see a plum blossom in front of the entrance to the two-storied rōmon gate. We went ahead and took a quick two-shot of the guardian lion-dog and the blossom.
And as you pass through the rōmon gate, you will see plum blossoms all over the precinct of the shrine! Even outside the garden, there are beautiful plum blossoms blooming and blossoming.
"If it's this pretty outside the garden, then the inside must be even more amazing! Let's hurry inside!" While suppressing the urge to run inside, we first went and prayed at the honden main shrine and greeted the gods.
There's even a plum blossom in front of the honden main shrine! It was only in mid-bloom, but it was still very pretty.
We were enjoying the blossoms outside the garden but... (haha)
Finally, at entrance with this big sign on it, we entered the garden. The entry fee is￥800 for adults and ￥400 for children. With the ticket you receive at the entrance, you can get a cup of tea and a treat afterward, so make sure not to lose it!
After going inside, there are plum blossoms as far as the eye can see!
There are plum trees here, there, everywhere! Surrounded by all the plum blossoms, you can feel the arrival of spring.
As is the case when there are as many as 50 different species of plum tree, you can enjoy a range of different colored and shaped blossoms.
For example, the plum blossoms with light pink petals overlapping each other, or...
The smaller plum blossoms with white flowers, or...
The ones with petals in a deep pink! Each has their own beauty and you'll never grow tired of looking at them.
The Sharing Kyoto team were engrossed in their beauty and enamored in taking photos of them.
This plum blossom was taken by Mr.Yamasaki, the new editor-in-chief at Sharing Kyoto. The buds of the plum blossoms are pretty too, aren't they?
After having plenty enjoyed the blossoms (and after taking photos), you can enjoy a treat called Kankobai and an ume and kombu (plum and kelp) tea while looking at the blossoms in a resting area near the entrance of the garden.
Please hand the staff standing under the red umbrella the ticket you received at the entrance.
Everyone is taking a relaxing break.
If the weather is nice, there is an area where you can take a break under some Japanese red umbrellas too! This area has a nice air of elegance, doesn’t it?
On the inside, the treats look like this. The branded image on the rice cracker is imaged after red and white plum blossoms and is super cute!
Inside is white sugar syrup containing bits of plum.
Mr.Yamasaki looks like he’s enjoying cramming his mouth full with one of the treats.
Just enjoying this moment while looking at the flowers.
Me, Yumemi, unwinding with this great ume and kombu tea.
While reluctantly leaving the beautiful plum blossoms behind, we said a last goodbye to the ox in front of the rōmon gate and went home.
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Yumemi[ Sharing Kyoto Staff ] |
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