We scheduled our trip based on the Japanese school calendar, but an extra advantage to a spring trip was the possibility of seeing cherry blossoms. When we first arrived in Gifu, the cherry trees had not yet blossomed, but the earlier-blooming plum trees were on full display.
Our first day in town, Kevin and Chikako took us to the
plum park. This Gifu city park features numerous species of plum trees, all helpfully labeled (at least, helpful if you read Japanese).
In addition to lovely plum blossoms...
...the park had a playground that was fun for kids...
...and grown-ups too.
One of the things we remarked on during our trip was how frequently we came across tiny spots of focused and intentional loveliness. These were often, but certainly not always, tied to shrines or temples.
The annual plum festival happened shortly before we arrived. The festival is timed to coincide with the peak of the blooming season, but a spell of cold weather delayed the blooming calendar. Bad luck for the Gifu plum festival, but good luck for us!
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