My second winter in Japan was colder than the first, but we did have more heating equipment and better clothing for the second time around. Even then as Dave, Jonathan and Jayden remember well it could get very cold, even inside the house! Japanese houses are not made for the winter, especially approximately 50 years old houses like the one we are staying in.
So it always lifts the spirit when the Ume (plum) blossoms appear which are the first of the flowering stone fruit trees to bloom for the year. Now somehow in the past for me the Ume blossoming was not such a big thing compared to Sakura, but I'm growing to like the Ume blossoming more and more. They are a more modest blooming than the Sakura, which seems to fit well with traditional Japanese values. I also think they photograph a lot better for close ups than the Sakura because the image is not overloaded with flowers. The only thing is, I don't get out and photo the Ume enough because the weather is still so cold and the second half of February often sees the end of winter rains.
However I am planning something big for the Ume blossoming of 2011, because I've found out about a great place to view them. So stay tuned and hopefully it's not 2012 by the time I PBLOG about it!