Hello everyone, this is Ellie. Welcome to Waoryu Only in Japan channel
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