朝顔 Asagao-Morning Glories



朝顔 Asagao-Morning Glories



Here is a familiar flower. Asagao or morning glories are a common sight in the summer in Japan. Many people grow them in pots with a little square growing frame. They are also a common gift and florist shops are full of them. Many restaurants and businesses will grow them on nets in front of the store windows at this time of year.Hana's 1st grade schoolers all grew them from seeds at school and later could bring the plants home. This is a picture of the morning glories from our balcony. I've always ,loved this flower and planted them in the back yard as a kid. In Japan, there is also a wild growing variety that opens in the afternoon;     昼顔, "hirugao"-afternoon glories. These are smaller and can been seen growing on the ground in parks and along sidewalks.



昼顔, hirugao, afternoon glories

ほうずき Houzuki Flowers

 

This is an interesting flower from Grandma's house called "Houzuki". The "flowers are paper thin and mostly hollow. If you open one, there is a tiny little fruit inside. It looks like a tiny kaki fruit(persimmon). There's another variedty at grandma's house that has a tiny tomatoe like fruit and is edible. The flowers look like tiny paper lanterns. So cute.

The Meaning of My Daughters' Names

   Flowers have special meaning in Japan. Be careful what you give your girlfriend. Flowers are also a part of my daughters’ names. My older daughter is Hana(花菜) The first character “花” means flower and the second character “菜” means plant or leaf and is used in the word for vegetable. But if you reverse the characters it can be read nanohana(菜の花). This is the rapeseed blossom, a beautiful yellow flower that is cultivated in Japan to make cooking oil and is the same as in Canola oil.

My younger daughter is Rika(梨花), which means “pear flower”. Tottori prefecture, where we live, is known for its big, delicious pears. Pear blossoms are a pleasant sight in spring and are a nice contrast to the more famous pink cherry blossoms. Everyday when I come home, I can see the smiling faces of my two beautiful flowers.

彼岸 Higan and 彼岸花 Higanbana Flowers(Red Spider Lilly)

 Higan is a time of Buddhist reflection. It occurs twice a year for periods of seven days; three days before and after the Vernal and Autumn Equinoxes (shuubun no hi and shunbun no hi). The word "higan" means "the other shore." In Buddhism it refers to nirvana. Japanese usually have some days off around this time. There are three main times a year when Japanese visit their family graves to pray for the ancestors; Spring Higan in March, O-bon in August, and Autumn Higan in September. The Japanese are very quick to say they are not religious, but ancestor worship is an integral part of Japanese culture.

During the Autumn Higan, a common sight are the “Higanbana” flowers that bloom at this time. The higanbana are a very beautiful, but very unusual looking flower. In English, it is “Red Spider Lily” or sometimes "cluster amaryllis". I recently learned a little more about them. There is a white variety which I’ve personally never seen. Now they grow wild everywhere in Japan, alongside roads and rice fields, but at one time they were cultivated. They grow from bulbs which are extremely poisonous and were planted around rice fields and homes to cut down on pests like mice. You won’t find the in flower shops and Japanese people never pick them, partly because the plant is known to be poisonous, but also I think it is associated with Higan ancestor worship. They are blood red and remind you of death. And you never know, they might be the reincarnated spirit of grandma. I once made the mistake of picking some for my girlfriend, now my wife. We were on a road trip and had a fight. I picked some red flowers along the side of the road to make up, but she only got more upset. Please enjoy the scenery during this season in Japan, but remember, “Don’t Pick The Flowers!”

Japanese Flowers: 菊 Kiku

  I love telling this story. It’s one of my more famous cultural faux pas in Japan. It was way back when my wife and I were dating. She had become very ill and had a high fever for several days. I went to visit her at her apartment. I wanted to cheer her up and bring her some flowers. I stopped in at a little corner mom and pop shop near by. There weren’t many choices and I picked some flowers that I thought looked pretty. I came in to see her and happily presented her with my flowers. Her face went pale and her jaw dropped. She explained those were “kiku” flowers and are only put on peoples graves. Kiku is the Japanese name for chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums are a common sight at florists and other shops in Japan. They are placed on graves when Japanese pray to their ancestors. They are a common motif in Buddhism and also the symbol of the emperor. The position of the emperor of Japan is known as the chrysanthemum throne. The chrysanthemum is the official seal of Japan and appears on Japanese passports. However, me giving my sick girlfriend kiku might look like she’s dying or I want her dead.