Odawara Ume Festival 2024 Tour all of Odawara’s ume (plum) viewing spots.

Odawara Ume Festival 2024 Tour all of Odawara’s ume (plum) viewing spots.

Hello. Today, I will introduce famous plum blossom spots in Odawara. First, Soga Bairin. This is a large weeping tree in a private house near the Soga Bairin. Today is February 16th. The weeping plums are just at their peak.

There are three types of plum trees in plum groves: early blooming, mid-blooming, and late blooming. Due to the warm winter, the plum blossoms bloomed about 10 days earlier than usual, and the mid-blooming plums are now in full bloom, replacing the early blooming plums.

If you like weeping plums, it’s best to come when the middle blooms are in full bloom. I love the weeping plum tree, whose flowers bloom in a cascading pattern.

As the saying goes, “Idiots who cut down cherry blossoms and idiots who don’t cut plums”, you shouldn’t cut cherry blossom branches, but plum branches need to be pruned properly every year. A beautiful large weeping tree that has been properly pruned. . . You can see the big weeping tree from before.

There are 5 parking lots at Soga Bairin, but we recommend the parking lot at this ice cream factory. Today you can see Mt. Fuji covered in snow. I live at the foot of that Mt. Fuji.

There is a parking lot near the main venue with food stalls, but even if you park there, you will have to come here, so we recommend this parking lot near the prefectural road. You can also eat delicious gelato made from milk produced in Odawara. . Weeping plums in full bloom.

Many of the plums in the Soga plum grove are used for making plum wine and pickled plums. Ornamental weeping plums are not planted in large numbers. As I’m sure you know, the Soga of Soga Bairin is the Soga of “The Revenge of the Soga Brothers.”

It is one of Japan’s three major revenges, along with the “Ako Ronin Raid” and the “Iga Crossing Revenge.” Revenge was something that was allowed and even praised in the past. Every year at the end of the year, “Chushingura” is broadcast on television.

Stories created from the perspective of the samurai’s dignity are interesting, but in modern times, slayings are absolutely no good. looks delicious. . . Lately, I’ve been eating citrus fruits after every meal. I’m going to walk through the plum grove for a while.

I left my house at the foot of the opposite side of Mt. Fuji at 7 o’clock this morning. I came here after seeing the Kawazu cherry blossoms on Mt. Matsuda. The Matsuda Cherry Blossom Festival is popular, but the Plum Festival is just as popular.

I think cherry blossoms are more beautiful as flowers, but there is something special about taking a walk while enjoying the scent of plum blossoms. Also, the branches of the plum tree have an appearance that can be considered Japanese beauty.

Approximately 35,000 plum trees, mainly white plums, are cultivated here, giving a sense of Japanese beauty. It is one of the three major plum groves in the Kanto region, along with Kairakuen in Mito and Ogose Bairin in Saitama. Of the three, Kairakuen may have the most beautiful plum blossoms.

For some reason, all I can remember about Ogose Bairin is the sake, which was delicious. I also went to Tsukuba Bairin, Takao Baigo, Yoshino Baigo, and many other places.

My favorite plum grove was Yoshino Baigo, but all the plum trees were cut down 10 years ago because the plum trees were infected with a virus called plum pox.

Yoshino Baigo had plum trees planted on the slopes of the mountains, and the red and white plums and yellow cornelian cherry blossoms were in bloom, making it feel like a paradise. I think I like plum groves on the slopes of mountains.

Although this plum grove is not on the slope of a mountain, you can see the beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. It is said to be one of the 100 views of Fujimi in the Kanto region.

It is said that 350,000 people visit the Odawara Plum Festival, but today, as it is a weekday, it is empty. Even on weekends, Bairin is large, so it doesn’t get too crowded. However, on weekends, like everywhere else, the parking lot is very crowded.

If you’re going to a tourist spot on the weekend, be sure to enter the parking lot before 9am at the latest. I came to the main venue. Since it’s a weekday, the food stalls seem to be closed. The souvenir shop sells pickled plums and mandarin oranges.

On weekends, festival music, lion dances, and other shows are held here. How about freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice? . . On the festival guide map, the point ahead is the Fujimi point. I came to Odawara Castle Ruins Park from Soga Bairin.

I’ve been here 5 or 6 times, but I didn’t have much of a fondness for it until I watched the NHK Taiga drama “Kamakura-dono no 13” last year. This is an impregnable castle that is the home of the Hojo clan.

Now that I’ve watched the Taiga drama, I can’t help but imagine what it was like then. There are many gates to prevent enemy entry. Well, where is the plum tree? There are no plum trees, but it’s nice to see the beautiful outer shell of the castle.

I feel like I have traveled back in time to the Sengoku period. Beautiful white walls. There is a castle tower, and you can see a plum tree in the foreground. There are said to be 250 plum trees in the park, but I don’t feel like there are that many.

If you’re going to come here, I think it’s better to come here in June, when the hydrangeas and irises are blooming, rather than the current plum season. A Buddhist pine tree that is over 520 years old. Here in June, irises and hydrangeas are in full bloom. big pine. Tokiwagi Gate, the last gate.

Inside this gate is the SAMURAI pavilion, where swords and armor are on display, and you can even try wearing armor. There is a fee to enter the SAMURAI building, but a set ticket with the castle tower seems to be a good deal.

I arrived at the main enclosure, but I couldn’t see any plum trees. There are only a few plum trees, so it’s a good idea to enjoy the historical romance here after viewing plenty of plum trees at Soga Bairin. It is about 20 minutes by car from Soga Bairin.

This is not a plum blossom, but a Kawazu cherry tree. This is Suzuhiro Kamaboko (fish cake) village. 10 minutes by car from Odawara Castle Ruins Park. There are not many plum trees, but it is my favorite place. This place is like a kamaboko theme park.

They sell a variety of pasties such as kamaboko and fried fish cakes. You can also try your hand at making kamaboko or take a guided tour of the kamaboko museum. The most important thing is the taste of kamaboko, which is absolutely exquisite. I’m going to buy one kamaboko and go home again today.

It’s more than 5 times more expensive than the kamaboko you usually buy at the supermarket, but it’s worth it. Eat it with a little bit of wasabi. I eat Suzuhiro’s kamaboko several times a year. Luxury is great because you do it once in a while.

Although it’s expensive, it’s about 1,500 yen per bottle, so it’s okay if you only buy it once in a while. You can buy it at a directly managed store or department store near here. I only see them around New Year’s Day at my local supermarket.

So, when I come to Odawara to see plums, cherry blossoms, and hydrangeas, I stop by and buy some kamaboko. Many people may have heard of Suzuhiro Kamaboko Village for the first time. Speaking of the Odawara relay station for the Hakone Ekiden, most people should know about it.

Every New Year, I always absentmindedly watch the Hakone Ekiden, but as the Odawara Relay Station approaches, my thoughts turn to “Kamaboko, Kamaboko”. It is said that sake and kamaboko will be served to Ekiden fans. When I lived in Tokyo, I once worked as a volunteer staff member for the Hakone Ekiden.

I even cheered at the finish line in Hakone. But right now, the place I want to support the most is definitely the Odawara Relay Station. I don’t know much about it, but I heard it’s Moha 107 of the Hakone Railway.

In about another week, the early-blooming cherry blossoms “Tairyo-zakura” will be in full bloom. The Tairyo-zakura here is really beautiful. If the weather is nice, I would like to come again. I will put a link to the video of last year’s Tairyo Cherry Blossoms in full bloom in the description section.

The video was taken on March 7th last year, and you can see the Tairyo cherry blossoms here, as well as the Odawara Flower Garden, which we are going to. The video is on my other YouTube channel. There are no subtitles. Tsujimura Botanical Park is 5 minutes by car from Suzuhiro Kamaboko Village.

I only come during the plum season, but I never meet anyone. This is a place where you can enjoy a quiet stroll. The attached “Wanpakurand” seems to be the main facility. I have never been to “Wanpakurand”. It looks like a park for children.

Odawara Flower Garden is 10 minutes by car from Tsujimura Botanical Park. It is said that the early blooming plums are in full bloom. This Odawara Flower Garden is my favorite garden where various flowers bloom depending on the season. I can’t believe that admission and parking are free.

This place is very popular with older locals. Canola flowers and Kawazu cherry blossoms. I’ll start shooting uncut from here. Kawazu cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Yellow crocuses were blooming. It is a garden with a large lawn, which is rare in Japan. Wax plum has a sweet scent. Weeping plum.

Last June, when I came here during the hydrangea season, plum berries were falling everywhere. Unlike the Soga plum grove, they are not grown for food, so perhaps it can’t be helped.

It seems like they are looking for volunteers to pick up plum fruits every year, so I think I’ll give it a try this year. Those who picked up plums are allowed to pick some of the plums that are still on the trees.😊

It might be better than throwing away all the plum fruit you’ve grown. This plum garden is called the mountain stream plum garden. I love small rivers like this. I will walk along the river.

It seems that whether it is a red plum or a white plum is determined by the color of the cross section of the branch. If the cut end of the branch is red, it is a red plum even if the white flowers bloom.

They say that people don’t depend on appearances, but it seems that plum blossoms don’t rely on appearances either. Today was the Odawara Plum Festival, so we visited five famous plum blossom spots in Odawara. If you can’t visit all five places, we recommend Soga Bairin.

If you have ever been to Soga Bairin, Odawara Flower Garden is recommended. The parking lot, which can accommodate about 150 cars, is almost full even on weekdays. This may be a facility with high customer satisfaction. Various flowers bloom one after another. Although you can’t see Mt. Fuji, there is a nice little river.

How was the Odawara Plum Festival? I’m glad that I’ve started receiving comments recently. I’m still not used to creating subtitles, but I would be happy if you could relate to the feeling of seeing a beautiful flower. If you enjoyed it, please like, comment and subscribe to support this channel😊

This is my favorite place where the stream starts. Thank you for watching until the end this time. See you again in the next video.

Today, we came to Odawara Ume Festival.
First, we went to Soga Plum Grove and Odawara Castle Park, the festival site.
Then, we went to Tsujimura Botanical Park and Odawara Flower Garden, both famous for their ume blossoms.

On the way, we also stopped by Suzuhiro Kamaboko no Sato, a hidden gem.

The weather was fine and we were able to see Mt.Fuji.

00:00 Opening
00:45 Soga Plum Grove
12:20 Odawara Castle Park
18:23 Suzuhiro Kamaboko no Sato
23:16 Tsujimura Botanical Park
25:01 Odawara Flower Garden.

My other channel https://www.youtube.com/@JapanGardenTour
Walking around Odawara with cherry and plum blossoms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BDpNVyOWxw&t=38s

Odawara City Official HP https://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/kanko/event/FEB/umematuri_52.html

Date taken : February 16, 2024
Camera : SONY ZV-E10
Lens : SELP1650
Resolution : 4K

*Using Google Translate. Therefore, please be aware that there may be typos or omissions.
*Please note that the information in the video may not be 100% accurate.

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