Balloon Flower Day

For over a year I've been sharing many of the days that have a special anniversary as registered by the Japan Anniversary Association. But completely separate to that, every simgle day of the year has at least one flower associated with it too.

There at two flowers in particular that are associated with September 1st. They are the Peace Lily and the Balloon Flower. I often see peace lilies in restaurants and shops in Japan, but I can't find any of my photos of them. So in this post I'll talk about Balloon Flowers, pictured below. 

The flower is called Kikyou in Japanese. Apparently it evolved from the Chinese name for the flower. In English, it is called a "balloon flower" because the buds resemble inflated balloons. It is one of the flowers of September 1st, but also August 2nd and August 28th. It blooms between June and September. The featured photo was taken in August in Higashichichibu. 

The flower's meaning (in Japanese) of "eternal love" and "sincerity" are said to come from the story of a young girl who waited her whole life for her lover. In the west the flower is said to represent endless love, honesty, the return of a friend and obedience. 

Have you seen balloon flowers in Japan?