Chap. XI. 
TREES AND FLOWERS. 
183 
All countries are beautiful in spring, but Japan 
is pre-eminently so. The trees were now clothed 
with leaves of the freshest green, and many of the 
early flowering kinds were in full blossom. On 
every hill-side and in every cottage-garden there 
was some object of attraction. The double-blos- 
somed cherry-trees and flowering peaches were 
most beautiful objects, loaded as they now were 
with flowers as large as little roses. Camellias, 
forming goodly-sized trees, were common in the 
woods, and early azaleas adorned the hill-sides 
with flowers of many hues. Here the Azalea ob- 
tusa , with flowers of the most dazzling red, was 
peculiarly at home. I found this species some 
years ago in the gardens of China, but no doubt 
its native habitat is Japan, and it requires the 
bright sunlight of the East to bring out in perfec- 
tion its brilliant colour. Cydonia japonica was 
seen in a wild state, creeping amongst the grass, 
and covered with red blossoms ; violets, often scent- 
less, covered every bank ; and several varieties 
of primrose ( Primula cortusoides ) were met with 
under trees in the shady woods. 
The Buddhist temples, always situated in the 
most charming positions, and having fine examples 
of the trees and shrubs of the country, full grown 
and carefully protected, are objects of attraction at 
all seasons, but more particularly in spring. We 
visited many of these on our route'; all of them 
were interesting, and none more so than Bokengee, 
a place I had visited when here in the autumn. 
