Today it was very warm. Although we are still in the middle of the winter season, Japanese apricot blossoms (ume in Japanese) began to bloom. They are the first to announce the arrival of spring. Japan is home to about 400 varieties of Japanese apricot trees, and their blossoms can be enjoyed nationwide from December to March. In Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden located in the city of Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, Japanese apricot trees began to bloom in early February. Here, there are more than 2,000 Japanese apricot trees of some 30 different varieties. I was luckily able to hear the singing sound of the Japanese bush warbler (Horeites diphone). They are also known as a signal of the arrival of spring in Japan.
Furoen: https://www.furouen.jp/english/
About Furoen (Garden of Eternal Life) from the Garden’s pamphlet: Passing through the Gate of Eternal Youth and strolling among exotic rocks and ancient trees, one arrives at the Hermitage of Longevity (derived from one of the Chinese historical idioms).
Japanese apricot blossoms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_mume; Japanese Apricot Blossom Patterns: https://www.gov-online.go.jp/hlj/en/january_2026/january_2026-04.html
Japanese bush warbler (Horornis diphone): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_bush_warbler; https://ebird.org/species/jabwar; https://www.nippon.com/en/guide-to-japan/cs00066/
Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026
Additional Information:
Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026
Winter jasmine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasminum_nudiflorum
Temple juniper (Juniperus rigida), Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026
Temple juniper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_rigida
Buds of Thunberg spiraea (Spiraea thunbergii) at Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden
Thunberg spiraea, Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026
Common greenshield lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata) and Palm ruffle lichen (Parmotrema tinctorum) on Japanese apricot blossom trees, Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026
Common greenshield lichen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavoparmelia_caperata; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=172615
Palm ruffle lichen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmotrema_tinctorum; https://lichenportal.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxauthid=1&taxon=54568&clid=1052#
Also, please read the previous article on Furoen, February 10, 2024