Exhibition of Bonsai Plum Trees

Heavenly scented plum blossom in Nagahama

Cathy Cawood Feb 11, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>A pretty trio of small bonsai plum trees</p>

<p>White blossoms and gnarled branches against a red background</p>

<p>Large plum trees in bloom fill the room with their scent</p>

<p>Stone lantern in the snowy garden of Keiunkan</p>

<p>A large gold screen sets of the branches of a tree just starting to bloom</p>

<p>Calligraphy scroll hangs next to a bonsai plum in a blue dish</p>

<p>White plum blossom againg a wood and paper screen</p>

<p>Calligraphy screens in the tea room</p>

<p>If you feel inspired, you might want to take your own bonsai plum home with you. I did!</p>

Every year from January 20th to March 10th the heady, spicy fragrance of plum blossom fills a beautiful old house called Keiunkan in Nagahama. Before I visited this exhibition of bonsai plum trees, I thought all bonsai were small, but some of the trees were over 2 meters. Even more impressive, some of them were very old, as old as 400 years! The house is only a few minutes walk from Nagahama JR Station, and brochures, directions and tickets can be obtained from the Visitor's Centre at the the station.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...