March 2022 – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

How a Sparrow Saved the Shogun

Susan Spann Blog March 28, 2022March 28, 2022Japanese history, Minamoto no Yoritomo, Murder is Everywhere, Shitodo

Medieval Japanese history might have taken an entirely different course, but for one big decision by one small bird.

The First Sakura of 2022!

Susan Spann Blog March 23, 2022March 23, 2022cherry blossoms, Japan, sakura, sakura 2022, spring in Japan

I took these pictures of the first cherry blossoms of 2022 on the grounds of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shintō shrine in Kamakura, last weekend.

A Modern Twist on an Ancient Rite of Spring

Susan Spann Blog March 16, 2022March 13, 2022Hakone, hanami, Japan, Murder is Everywhere

This week, I’m blogging at Murder is Everywhere – and sharing a modern twist on an ancient Japanese rite of spring.

Living (Near) History in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward

Susan Spann Blog March 14, 2022March 13, 2022Buddhism, Buddhist temples, En'yu-ji, Japan, Japanese history

While walking in my neighborhood a few years ago, I came up a little temple with a lovely grove of ume trees inside the outer gate. As it happens, this temple–called En’yū-ji–is 1,200 years old, and home to the oldest wooden building in Tokyo.

Makuyama, Blooming Trees, and Soft Serve: Yugawara’s Ume Festival

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes March 7, 2022March 5, 2022hiking in Japan, Japanese plum blossoms, Makuyama, Makuyama Koen, ume, ume matsuri

Last weekend (February 26), I headed south to the town of Yugawara, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to climb a mountain and attend an ume matsuri–a festival dedicated to the blooming plum tree blossoms (known as ume in Japanese).