Ume Festival at Yushima Tenjin: Plum Blossoms, Mascots, and Dagojiru | Jabble Funabashi Eikaiwa

Hi everyone! It’s Angie from Jabble Funabashi Eikaiwa (船橋の英会話スクール).

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but this year was my first time going to the Ume Festival at Yushima Tenjin.

I’d actually only just learned about the shrine recently.
Even though I’ve lived in Chiba for a while and worked at Jabble Funabashi Eikaiwa, somehow Yushima Tenjin had never really been on my radar.
Then I heard about the plum blossoms and the Ume Festival, looked it up, and realized it was right there in Bunkyo.
So this year, I decided to finally go and see what it was all about.

I ended up going on Tennō Tanjōbi, which, combined with the unseasonably warm weather, meant it was much busier than I expected.
In my head, I had imagined a calm, quiet wander among delicate blossoms.
Instead, I stepped into a lively crowd of families, students, couples, and camera enthusiasts all enjoying the sunshine.

And it really was warm. Not “late February” warm — more like early April.
Blue sky, bright sun, and way too mild for the extra layers I automatically put on before leaving home.
The plum blossoms were in full bloom, and the pink and white flowers looked almost brighter against the clear sky.
Some trees were soft and pale, others were a deep pink that really stood out in the sunlight.

Because it was warm, you could actually catch the fragrance of the blossoms as you walked past.
It was light and slightly sweet — subtle, but definitely there.
Even with the crowds, there were little pockets of space where you could pause and look up at the branches overhead.
I had half-expected traditional performances like taiko drums or dance, but there weren’t any that day.
Instead, there was a showcase of local mascot characters. There was a small area set up where different regional mascots were posing for photos and waving enthusiastically.
Kids were lining up excitedly, and plenty of adults were taking photos too.
It wasn’t what I imagined when I thought “shrine festival,” but it added a cheerful, slightly chaotic energy to the afternoon.

Now for the part that probably makes the least sense.

Despite the warm weather, I bought a steaming hot bowl of Dagojiru.

If you don’t know it, dagojiru is a hearty Kumamoto soup made with flat dumplings and vegetables in a rich broth.
It’s solid winter comfort food. The kind of thing you want on a cold day when you can see your breath.

It was not that kind of day.

But I used to live in Kumamoto, and the moment I saw “Dagojiru” written on the stall sign, it didn’t matter what the temperature was. I was getting it.

It felt nostalgic. Familiar. Comforting in a completely different way.
Standing there under blooming plum trees in Tokyo, holding a bowl of soup from Kumamoto, felt strangely personal. Like two different parts of my life overlapping for a moment.

Did I get a bit warm while eating it? Yes.
Did I regret it? Not at all.

It was honestly one of my favorite parts of the day.

Yushima Tenjin is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, so there were plenty of students visiting to pray.
The area with the ema (wooden prayer plaques) was packed with handwritten wishes. You could really feel how important this season is for so many people.

As someone who teaches at Jabble, it was interesting to see that atmosphere in person instead of just talking about it in class.
It made the shrine feel less like “a place I’d heard about” and more like somewhere connected to real moments in people’s lives.

Was it the quiet, reflective afternoon I originally imagined? Not exactly. It was warm. It was crowded.
There were mascots instead of traditional performances. And I ate hot Kumamoto soup in near-spring weather purely because I missed Kumamoto.

But that’s what made it memorable.

My first visit to the Ume Festival at Yushima Tenjin felt lively, local, and full of personality.
The plum blossoms were beautiful, the crowd had good energy, and the unexpected dagojiru moment made it personal.

Now when I mention the shrine in conversation, I’m not just repeating something I read.
I can picture the bright sky, the pink blossoms, the mascot photo lines — and myself, slightly overdressed, happily eating hot soup in the sun. 🌸

船橋校
Angie

【日本人スタッフによる要約】

Jabble船橋校のAngie先生が、初めて湯島天神の梅まつりを訪れた体験を紹介します。
満開の梅の花、天皇誕生日のにぎわい、地域マスコットの登場、そして熊本名物だご汁との再会。
春を感じる東京の一日を通して、学問の神様として知られる湯島天神の魅力をお届けします。