Plum Blossom Festival at Kairakuen: Full of Color and History

There was a huge visitor turnout at Kairakuen gardens, the venue of the Mito Ume Matsuri ー Plum Blossom Festival ー in Ibaraki Prefecture. 

Festival turnout was encouraged by the mild spring weather and the red,white and pink flowers in bloom.  As I mentioned in an earlier article, a prominent feature of the event was the kimono-clad Ume Taishi, or Plum Blossom Ambassadors. They were standing by the blossoms to greet visitors and attracting crowds who wanted to pose with them for a picture. 

Mascot with Strong Flavor

Mito-chan, the local mascot character, was also represented. He is just one of many “yurukyara” which have been created to promote a particular region of Japan. The term is derived from two words. “Yurui,” which means relaxed, soft and gentle and “Kyara” which is a shortened Japanese transcription of the word…