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Essential Japanese Seasonal Decorations - Spring

Seasonality: All Spring/ February - April

Japanese Name: Wagashi - Akatsubaki

English Name: Traditional Japanese Confectionery - Red Camellia

Tsubaki (椿), or Japanese Camellia, is a flower that blooms from late winter to spring (late January to March) and is often considered a harbinger of spring. One well noted characteristic of the camellia is that its petals do not fall off one by one, but rather the whole blossom drops off at once. Since the blossoms are quite large, a soft thud sound is produced when it hits the ground or other objects – expressed by the Japanese onomatopoeia “boto”. The sight and sound of the flower head dropping was associated with beheading in earlier times and is thus considered an inappropriate flower to give to the ill.

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Essential Japanese Seasonal Decorations - Spring

Seasonality: All Spring/ February - April

Japanese Name: Wagashi - Dorayaki & Sanshoku Dango

English Name: Traditional Japanese Confectionery - Grilled Gong & Tri-Color Dumplings

Dorayaki (どら焼き), which means “grilled gong,” is a type of Japanese confection, а red-bean pancake which consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet Azuki red bean paste. The original Dorayaki consisted of only one layer. Its current shape was invented in 1914 by Usagiya in the Ueno district of Tokyo. In Japanese, dora means "gong", and because of the similarity of the shapes, this is probably the origin of the name of the sweet. Legend has it that the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei forgot his gong (dora) upon leaving a farmer’s home where he was hiding and the farmer subsequently used the gong to fry the pancakes, thus the name Dorayaki.

Hanami dango (花見団子, or Cherry Viewing Dumplings), also known as Sanshoku Dango (三色団子, or Tri-Color Dumplings), is a rice paste dessert named after the popular Japanese tradition of hanami (花見), literally flower viewing. Hanami dates back to the Nara Period (710–794) or possibly Heian Period (794–1185 A.D), and remains a beloved national pastime today. Hanami gatherings usually take place around late March in Kyūshū, the southernmost (and hottest) prefecture of Japan, and as late as mid-May in the northernmost (and coldest) prefecture, Hokkaidō. No matter what prefecture you choose for hanami, however, the blossoms only last for a week or two. In hanami dango, the pink represents the cherry blossoms during hanami season, the white represents the remaining snow on the ground, and green represents the grass beginning to sprout in Spring. The proverb hana yori dango (花より団子), or “dango rather than flowers” points to dango’s popularity—most people attend cherry blossom viewing parties for the food rather than the flowers!

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