[Kanagawa ]Four plum blossom viewing spots in Odawara City that are decorated with red and white flowers in early spring.

Odawara Castle was an impregnable castle that served as the headquarters of the Hojo clan during the Warring States period. The area centering on the site of the castle's main citadel has been developed as Odawara Joshi Park. Approximately 250 plum trees are planted throughout the park, and from mid-February to early March, the park is usually covered with the colors of the season. The Odawara Castle Ume Festival "is held in conjunction with the best time to view the ume blossoms. "

The area with the highest density of plum trees in Odawara Joshi Park is the area surrounding Tokiwa-gimon Gate. Tokiwagimon Gate served as the main gate to the castle and was built as an important defensive base of the castle. The name "Tokiwangimon" means "evergreen tree," and it is said that the pine trees planted alongside the gate grow green for decades, hoping for the perpetual prosperity of Odawara Castle. A bright vermilion bridge spans the east moat of the castle dug to the east of the gate, which is covered with plum blossoms in early spring.

Odawara Flower Garden is a botanical park established in April 1995 in Kuno, Odawara City, as a botanical park where visitors can enjoy flowers throughout the four seasons. Within the garden, there is "a plum garden in a mountain stream ", which is usually filled with the scent of plum blossoms from late January to mid-March every year. The "Keiryu no Ume-en Plum Festival "is held in conjunction with the plum blooming season.

The Odawara Flower Garden covers an area of about 4.2 hectares, about half of which is occupied by the "Ume Garden of the Stream ". About 500 ume trees of about 200 varieties are planted in the garden.

The plum orchard is a mountain-style garden with a tranquil water surface and a hanashoubu pond in the center. In early spring, the plum blossoms around the pond, which is in full bloom in early summer, are decorated with plum blossoms. The plum blossoms against the blue sky are magnificent, but the plum blossoms swaying on the surface of the water are also attractive and varied.

Soga Bessho Plum Grove is a plum grove spreading in the northeastern part of Odawara City as a production area of edible plums. 3 plum groves spreading in the areas of Bessho, Hara and Nakagawara centering on Shimosoga Station on the JR Gotemba Line are sometimes collectively called Soga Plum Grove. "Juro "・ "Sugita ""Shirakaga "etc. In total, around 35,000 ume trees are grown in the three areas. Together with Kairakuen in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Koshu Plum Grove in Koshu Town, Saitama Prefecture, "they are sometimes counted among the three largest plum groves in Kanto ". Both plum groves are usually filled with the fragrance of plum blossoms from early February to early March. The "Soga Bessho Plum Festival "is held in conjunction with the best time to view the plum blossoms.

In the village of Soga, there are historical sites such as Jozenji Temple and Soga Shrine associated with the Soga brothers known for their revenge, the grave of Soga Sukenobu, the brothers' foster father, and the grave of their mother, Mangae Gozen. It is said that plum groves were first planted by the Odawara Hojo clan during the Warring States period to produce ume (Japanese apricot) berries to feed their soldiers. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the Odawara clan was promoted by the Okubo clan, which ruled the Odawara domain. They cultivated ume for processing into foodstuffs. In particular, pickled plums became a necessity for travelers crossing Hakone. When the ume trees in the Soga Bessho Plum Grove are in full bloom, stores and stalls appear in the center of the area, selling ume products made by the local government.

Visitors to the plum grove can walk along the farm road, which is laid out like a grid, and admire the plum blossoms as far as the eye can see.

Tsujimura Botanical Park is a botanical park located in the northwestern part of Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the area of "Ikoi no Mori ". The entire park is covered with ume (plum) groves, which are usually dyed with the colors of the season from mid-February to mid-March each year. The "Tsujimura Botanical Park Plum Festival "is held in conjunction with the plum blossom viewing season.

Tsujimura Botanical Park was originally the Tsujimura Plantation, which was established in the 1907. It was a progressive plantation that mainly handled Western plants and flowers, and imported tree seeds from overseas to make prototypes for gardens and park trees. Rare foreign trees still remain in the garden, but the most commonly cultivated species is the plum tree.

In the 4.7-hectare park, about 560 ume (plum) trees are planted, mainly "Shirakaga ". Some of the old trees are over 100 years old, and their branches are full of flowers. Odawara City has long been active in the cultivation of ume (Japanese apricot), and the ume is the city flower. Tsujimura Botanical Park is located in the "Ikoi-no-Mori ", so ume blossoms fold over each other three-dimensionally on the slope.

In the center of the plum grove is a pond with plum blossoms surrounding the calm surface of the water.

In Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, ume (Japanese apricot) cultivation has flourished since the Warring States Period and is designated as the city flower. There are many famous ume viewing spots in the city, and we have introduced four of them: Odawara Joshi Park, Odawara Flower Garden, Soga Bessho Plum Grove, and Tsujimura Botanical Park. Each of these spots is full of unique charms.