The winter is approaching and you may have started planning a trip to go see the colored autumn leaves. It is also the best season to enjoy the chrysanthemum in full bloom.
As you may have noticed, the family crest of the Imperial family is the chrysanthemum. It is the symbolic flower of Japan along with the cherry blossom. Originally, chrysanthemum was imported from China for medicinal purposes. The Japanese people enjoyed the beautiful flowers, and they began growing chrysanthemum for ornamental purposes. According to the book published in the 17th century, there were already over 200 kinds of chrysanthemums grown in Japan. Today, we have much wider variety of chrysanthemums in sizes, shapes and colors.
In Japan, chrysanthemum has been traditionally recognized as the flowers offered to Buddha and the deceased. It is often placed on the Buddhist altar and the graves. Chrysanthemum was used for such offering because its scent was believed to remove evil spirits and the flowers were long-lasting. The bouquets of chrysanthemums are always available at any flower shops and even supermarkets, and they are usually inexpensive. Although other kinds of flowers are used as offerings today, I advise you to give it a second thought to give a bouquet of chrysanthemums to your girlfriend or your sick friend in order to avoid any confusion and misunderstanding. 
From October to November, many chrysanthemum festivals are held all over Japan and we enjoy the competitive exhibitions of the beautiful chrysanthemums as well as the figures and dolls made of chrysanthemums. In Koto city, Chrysanthemum Festival is held at Kameido Tenjin Shrine from October 22 to November 23 this year. I would recommend you to visit there because this is the only place you can see the chrysanthemum figure of Tokyo Skytree. At Kameido Tenjin Shrine, the chrysanthemums will be in full bloom around mid-November.
(by Kumiko)
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