plum blossoms

Since moving to Katsushika (one of Tokyo’s northern wards) last September, I’ve spent a lot of time walking by the river in Mizumoto Koen (Park), not far from my new home. The park is particularly lovely on sunny days, when flocks of ducks swim in the Edogawa (Edo River), and sometimes kids fly kites — you can see one in the picture below, on the far side of the river – which is technically in neighboring Chiba Prefecture. This afternoon, while walking in the park, I noticed a pair of ume (plum) trees beginning to bloom – a traditional harbinger