Umemi

Last week I ventured out to Ome, to Yoshino Baigo, to see the ume, or plum blossoms. They look pretty similar to cherry blossoms, and come in lots of variations of pink. This was my first time going out to Ome for the blossoms, it's the best place in the Kanto area for umemi (plum blossom viewing) and only about a 30 min drive from my house.
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The blossoms didn't peak until this week, with the plum blossom festival running from the 15th - 22nd, but they were still really pretty. Even though the festival wasn't starting for another 3 days, there were still lots of food stalls and vendors set up. The post office was even out there, selling some very nice ume stamps.
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To get to the park you wind your way through some neighborhoods where all the farmers had stands set up selling fresh produce and ume yummies.
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The weather was perfect, a little windy in the morning, but bright, sunny and cool, perfect weather for hiking through the blossoms.
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I had a great time and enjoyed myself alot, I thinking about going back out on Monday to see how the blossoms look.
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Entering the park, looking towards the top. If you look carefully, just below the highest tree line, you can see the guardrail of the hiking trail; that was where I was headed.
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Enjoying my bento under the blossoms
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View from the top
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