The plum tree is said to have been brought to Japan from China for medicinal purposes around the 8th century. The delicate flowers that bloom on the winter-bare branches subsequently began to see active use in classical Japanese poems, and became beloved by many people.
Plum blossoms can be divided into two rough categories: white and red. However, there are many varieties of branch arrangements and flowers.
Plum trees bloom in the cold wind of winter, long before cherry trees, seeming to tell us that a new spring is just around the corner. I went hunting for that early spring color with the new Everio GZ-HM650. Here's news of the flowers from me, Boss.

Hi there! It's Boss again.
For the last two weeks in a row, I brought you articles on autumn leaves, but this week I have a special report.
When I was shooting footage for the autumn leaves articles it was around the beginning of November, and the leaves had just begun to turn. Now, in December, the Tokyo leaves are taking on darker colors, and I thought it looked like just the right time to go video hunting.
Then, on the evening of the 2nd, an unseasonal storm suddenly struck Tokyo, only to disappear by the following morning, leaving a beautifully clear autumn sky in its wake.
On a clear day such as this after a storm, I, as a member of Video Hunters, simply cannot sit still.

This is the second round of video hunting for autumn colors in familiar areas near my home. Following on from the first part, I, Boss, will once again be taking up the challenge. Instead of traveling to faraway tourist spots and famous places to see the autumn leaves, I'm going to seek out autumn colors next to my usual walking routes.
Last week, I used the manual brightness adjustment to highlight subtle changes in autumn coloring. This time around, I'm going to concentrate on using the manual focus to bring out the depth in autumn's rich sun-kissed colors.
And once again, I'm going to have the Everio GZ-HM1 as my powerful ally on this shoot.

Just as the flowering cherry blossoms move south to north up through Japan in the springtime, red leaves spread from the north to the south in autumn.
In August, the Everio Video Hunters! team visited Lake Chuzenji in Nikko for a kayak tour. By the middle of October, the mountains in this area had already become enveloped in a reddish hue. And in the low-lying Tokyo, next to the sea, the colors of autumn had begun to show from the beginning of November.
Following on from the cherry blossoms of April and the greenery of May, I would like to show you some autumn scenes that I captured in my area.

Hello again, 'Boss' here. I hope you are all doing well.

Can you believe it's already June? It's almost halfway through 2010. Outside, the greenery is exploding in the early summer light. And now as promised, I'm bringing you our Green Edition!

Once again, I tried out the Everio in its easy-to-use but powerful manual mode.

My partner on this outing is the new GZ-HM330. Its striking black design fits comfortably in my hand, and the device feels trustworthy despite its small size. Selecting the manual mode from the menu, I can adjust exposure compensation and focus using the laser touch, giving me smooth control when shooting.

Spring in Japan arrives with the cherry blossoms in April. The trees that were dried out in the heavy gray of winter were now all covered with bright pink flowers.
I was now ready for some serious video hunting! Since I'm known as the Everio Video Hunters' "Boss", it was an opportunity that I couldn't miss.
So, with the outstanding Everio GZ-HM400 in hand, I was off to hunt some Japanese springtime shots, namely the cherry blossoms in my neighborhood.