Spring colors

The spring mountains in the countryside of Japan west of Tokyo.

Dear friends,

My friend sent me a beautiful picture of the spring mountains in the countryside of Japan west of Tokyo. The cherry blossoms seem to have passed their peak there. The trees have begun to sprout new leaves, and are gradually changing their colors from light pink to tender green. We can enjoy the spring color change until all the trees are completely covered by new green leaves. 

Many traditional Japanese colors are named after elements in nature such as: very pale pink “cherry blossoms (桜)”, slightly purplish soft pink “pale red plum blossoms (薄紅梅)”, yellowish light green “new leaves (若葉)”, slightly bluish light green “young bamboo (若竹)”, and grayish brownish green “warblers (鶯)”. These are the colors of the mountains. These are not vivid colors, but slightly grayish and ambiguous ones with nuances which may be a result of the seasonal humid air in Japan. I recently made a traditional Japanese sweet using these spring colors. It is called “ukishima (浮島)” which is a sponge cake made with white beans.

A Japanese sweet “ukishima” with matcha

I have seen that cherry blossoms are fully blooming now in Washington DC, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, as well as in Central Park in NYC. So please enjoy various appearances of cherry blossoms.

All the best,

Kumiko

Spring arrival

Dear friends,

Although there still snow on the ground in Kent CT, I feel the spring air coming on. The sun is brighter and it rises earlier, and also I hear the birds singing.

Many people are waiting for spring flowers to bloom. Speaking of spring flowers, first I can imagine cherry blossoms.  When feeling a sign of spring, I always become craving a Japanese sweet called sakura-mochi, which is one of the most popular spring confections in Japan. It contains rice cake made from sticky rice flour with red bean paste inside it's wrapped in a salty leaf picked from a cherry blossom tree, which smells fragrant like the cherry blossom leaves. Sakura-mochi is only available in the spring, which make me want it more. 

You can purchase sakura-mochi at Japanese sweet shops even in NYC so I urge you try this you will enjoy it. I used to make Sakura-mochi, however, I have been unable to get the ingredients here locally this year.

Sakura-mochi

Simply said the Japanese culture savors all the changes in the seasons. In Japan, people enjoy the seasons not only with food but also poetry and kimono. Seasonal ones are more luxurious than anything else, as we can only be used at that particular time. Seasons are changing anyway. Each moment is different so we should cherish each encounter. It would be wonderful if I could make matcha for you using such a tea caddy pictured below to celebrate the arrival of spring together. I really hope such a day will come very soon.

Kamakura-bori (Sakura floating in the waves) by Hakkodo

All the best,

Kumiko

Edited by Janice Ensminger