JET in Fukushima: Symbols

The Flower of Fukushima

The flower of Fukushima is the Rhododendron Brachycarpum ( NEMOTO SHAKUNAGE ). It is an evergreen species, mainly found in subalpine to alpine zones around Hokkaido and the northern part of Honshu in Japan. It is notable for its pretty, delicate-looking and frilly flowers, yet it is a hardy and robust plant. Rhododendron brachycarpum can reduce water loss from its leaves in the dry winter season by changing the shape of its leaves, curling them up in to small cylinder-shapes.

 The Tree of Fukushima

The tree of Fukushima is the Zelkova Serrata ( KEYAKI ). I t's a large deciduous tree, growing to about 35 meters in height, and producing fabulous coloured leaves in Autum. It grows all over Japan and in other parts of Asia (though the type of Zelkova is slightly different outside of Japan). It is often used as an ornamental tree such as for making wonderful bonsai creations, or as a great focal point to someone's garden.

The Bird of Fukushima

The bird of Fukushima is the Narcissus Flycatcher ( KIBITAKI ). They are notable for the male's beautiful melodious whistling, and his colourful plumage of yellow, white and black. The female, in comparison, is a subtle brown colour, and does not whistle. They are migratory birds, and like to live in deciduous woodlands (Fukushima makes a perfect haven for them!), and feed on insects. They enjoy spending the winter in southeast Asia, including places such as the Philippines and Borneo.

The symbol mark of Fukushima is pictured below (left). It is called the "FU" because the symbol originated from the hiragana script ふ(FU), which is the first sound in the word Fukushima. The flag of Fukushima is pictured below (center). It contains the symbol mark "FU" and the background of deep orange represents "AIJO" affection and "KIBO" hope . The coloured symbol of Fukushima is pictured below (right). The colours represent the sky, ocean, lake, ponds, rivers, nature, towns, and sun. The shape represents a flower. The design as a whole aims to show a land with a big possibility, bursting with nature and affection, all communicating with eachother as one harmonious entity - like a flower, made up of many different parts, but existing together as a beautiful whole.