＜Japanese Version＞　一昨日２月２３日～２５日は天皇誕生日・土・日と三連休で、同じような三連休が１年の内には５～６回ある。２月下旬は梅や早咲き桜の季節で、大学の同窓会でも２月２８日に伏見の城南宮で枝垂れ梅見物と京都東急ホテルでの昼食会を行い、今の所１１名が参加となっている。卒業同級生は１７０名ほどいたが、８０数歳にもなると自らの健康や色々の事情があって参加者が少ないのも仕方がない事であろう。梅は源氏物語に屡々登場し、城南宮もその内の一つである。梅（開花が２月中旬～３月上旬）は平安時代に中国から移植されて日本で広がったものであり、桜（満開が短く３月上旬が開花時期）は江戸時代に梅（満開が長い）？が日本で改良されたものらしい。

＜English Version＞　　　The day before yesterday, February 23rd to 25th, was a three-day holiday that included the Emperor's birthday (Friday), Saturday, and Sunday, and there are five or six similar three-day holidays in a year. 　　　Late February is the season for plum blossoms and early-blooming cherry blossoms, and the university's alumni reunion held a weeping plum blossom viewing event at Jonangu Shrine in Fushimi on February 28th and a luncheon at the Kyoto Tokyu Hotel, with 11 participants so far.　　　 There were about 170 of my classmates who graduated, but it can't be helped that there were so few participants due to their own health and various other circumstances as they reach the age of 80. Plums often appear in The Tale of Genji, and Jonangu Shrine is one of them. 　　　Plum blossoms (flowering from mid-February to early March) were transplanted from China during the Heian period and spread in Japan, while cherry blossoms (flowering for a short time in full bloom until early March) were developed in the Edo period by plum blossoms (flowering for a long time in full bloom)? 　　　It seems that it was improved in Japan.