Today we are in Odawara to see the beautiful Ume blossoms

In the Sengoku Era, Odawara was a flourishing city under Shogun Hojo

The town area has a long history, not only as a castle town

where Samurai and Ninja lived

but a place where wealthy farmers and families lived 100 years ago

The symbol of the city, Odawara castle reminds us of the glorious times

Every year there are 1000s of plum trees blooming over Odawara

One of the best places to enjoy plum blossoms

is definitely Soga Bairin plum growth

We came early but the place was already aligned with many people enjoying the beauty of plum

or just waiting to get their hands on Japan's finest plum produce

Some common plum products include Umeboshi,

Plum jelly

plum paste

plum extract

dry plums

plum syrup

and my favorite, plum wine

Plum wine can be found in any regular store

and in any price range

some people might prefer plum wine on the rocks

but I like mine diluted with soda

because it has a very refreshing taste

We decided to do some shopping and experience the atmosphere of live growth

Look at this

9700!

9700?

Ju taro?

We also got to hear cute stories of past love from the locals

Ume Icecream!

Ice cream in Odawara

Very creamy, a bit sour

Super refreshing in this heat

As it is 21 degrees today

It's horrible because it's not even summer

It's end of February and we're already sweating

So this Ume icecream is perfect

Soga Bairin plum growth has approximately 35,000 trees

And that is also thanks to the previous Odawara Lord

Mr. Hojo who ordered to plant plums for provision purposes

Since then the forest has grown and now is looked over by Mr. Kazumi

Who has been working as a plum farmer for more than 20 years

His biggest pleasure is creating tasty plum products

that customers love

And in the future he is aiming to revitalize the country side

and attract more urban dwellers to join him at the plum farm

And what is the hardest thing about this job?

So what makes plums so special?

There are various reasons why plums are important in Japan

Let us discover some facts