Spring in Japan means cherry blossoms.
This year, the cherry blossoms are blooming early and are in full bloom.
Last year was my wife's first spring in Japan, so we went to Chidorigafuchi, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, and ate tempura at Tempura Shinjuku Tunahachi in Kita Senju on the way home.
On the way back, we had tempura at Tempura Shinjuku Tunahachi in Kita Senju. I just checked the date and it was March 22, so the blooming was earlier than usual last year.
The tulips and daffodils are now in full bloom, while the cherry blossoms in my apartment building, which is located in a less sunny area, have just started to bloom.
There were many tsukushi (Japanese boxwoods) growing on the banks in my neighborhood, and when I told my wife that they were edible, she was surprised.
I remember eating them as tempura or with eggs when I was a child, but I haven't had them recently.
They are not sold in supermarkets anymore, so they are no longer on the table.
It is said that the tsukushi is a spore stalk for the horsetail to reproduce.
When the head of the tsukushi opens and the spores are blown away by the wind and land on the ground, they germinate and become anterior lobe. There are male and female anterior lobe, and the sperm released from the male anterior lobe swim to the eggs in the female anterior lobe, fertilize them, and grow to become horsetail.
So, I guess you could say that tsukushi is the "penis" of horsetail.
The dandelions and tsukushi that bloom along the roadside are not showy, but they are my favorite plants because they remind me of the breath of spring.
