By the way, culinary apricot bloom later than Ume, but they still bloom before foliage appears. They make similarly lovely bonsai. The later bloom means in North America, you can winter them outdoors and get to see flowers, as they usually will wait to bloom until after the last hard freeze, well usually 4 out of 5 years. Where ume will bloom before last freeze, requiring us to do the "in and out dance" or have a frost free greenhouse 4 out of 5 years.
Ume bloom almost a month earlier than culinary apricot. It makes a difference. In SW Michigan the blooming sequence is short, most fruit starts blooming within a 3 week period, usually first is culinary apricot and plums, then blueberries, cherries and peaches, then the early apples start. It is a sight to drive the same road over the course of 2 or 3 weeks and see the changes, as fields burst into color.