japanese
The aptly-named "Plum Hill" (ume-gaoka) was our destination this sunny weekend. Though the ume is commonly translated as plum, it's actually a rather bitter apricot. Nevertheless, its now blossoming all around Tokyo.
Read MoreJapanese Maple │ NEX-7 & Voigtländer Nokton 35/F1.4 │ 35mm, 1/80, ISO 100, f/1.8, Lightroom 4.
The Chinese character for tree, 木, basically looks like a tree. It's quite an easy one to learn. Turn it upside down, imagine it falling, and it resembles something akin to one of the leaves in the photo above. The leaves of the Japanese Maple are probably most beautiful at this time of year, when they give their final shout before they succumb to the falling temperatures.