Many of Tokyo’s popular and iconic Somei Yoshino cherry blossom trees were planted during Japan’s post-World War II advancement in the 1960s, and are now getting old and frail.
Some have fallen and many others require support, triggering safety concerns as the Japanese celebrate the season of their favorite flower.
Two cherry blossom trees collapsed on Thursday, one at Kinuta Park in downtown Tokyo and the other at the Chidorigafuchi greenway. The one in Kinuta Park damaged a fence while the other tree almost fell into the Imperial Palace moat. Nobody was injured.
Photo: AFP
The tree in Kinuta Park was 18m tall and 2.5m in diameter.
It was among the oldest, believed to be more than 60 years old, officials said.
Last month, another old cherry tree collapsed at the park, injuring a passerby.
Eighty-five trees fell in Tokyo parks last year, injuring three people, and many were cherry trees, said Masakazu Noguchi, a Tokyo metropolitan official in charge of public parks.
People gather under the trees during the season of hanami, or cherry blossom viewing, and the collapse of trees has alarmed officials in Tokyo, the birthplace of the cherry blossom variety.
Tokyo assembly member Yutaka Kazama expressed concern on social media that “cherry blossom trees with their roots partially exposed or obviously rotten seem dangerous,” calling for firm safety measures, but without quickly resorting to tree felling.
Aging and erosion by internal fungus growth are among the main causes for the deterioration of the cherry blossom trees.
Tree doctor Hiroyuki Wada said heavy tilting, flowering on lower trunks and mushrooms growing at the bottom are signs to look for to avoid risk-prone trees.
Risks increase when tree trunks retain water after rain, he added.
“Many trees in our daily lives were planted soon after the war and are now 70 to 80 years old and getting weaker,” he said, adding that they are affected by extreme heat in the summer and an extensive dry season.
“I hope people think about the climate change through what’s happening to the cherry blossom trees, which is very symbolic,” Wada said.
Following last month’s incidents, officials conducted tree health checks at Tokyo’s main parks ahead of the cherry blossom viewing season.
At the Kinuta Park, officials have conducted preliminary inspections of more than 800 cherry trees. They chopped down a number of trees and posted warning signs near some trees, but the tree that fell on Thursday was without caution signs.
“At the moment, our measures are mostly temporary, not fundamental steps such as replanting,” Noguchi said. “We call on visitors to use caution, because we cannot say it’s safe even after inspection.”
At the Inokashira Park, one of Tokyo’s most popular viewing spots, dozens of aging cherry blossom trees have been felled in recent years as part of a long-term replanting plan. Some people lamented on social media the empty spaces around a pond that used to be seamlessly encircled by flowering pink blossoms.
Cherry blossom viewers say the news of falling cherry trees is worrisome, but they did not want to miss the short-lived fluffy pink blossoms.
“I’m a bit worried, but I guess it’s OK if we stay away from tree trunks,” visitor Lisa Suzuki said.
Another visitor, Akira Kamiyashiki, said he came with his daughter despite the safety concerns because rain is expected over the weekend.
“Seeing the keep-off signs, I now feel safe,” he said.
Cherry blossoms, or “sakura,” are Japan’s favorite flower and usually reach their peak in late March to early April, just as the country celebrates the start of a new school and business year. Many Japanese enjoy walking or picnicking under the trees.
When a hiker fell from a 55m waterfall in wild New Zealand bush, rescuers were forced to evacuate the badly hurt woman without her dog, which could not be found. After strangers raised thousands of dollars for a search, border collie Molly was flown to safety by a helicopter pilot who was determined to reunite the pet and the owner. A week earlier, an emergency rescue helicopter found the woman with bruises and lacerations after a fall at a rocky spot at the waterfall on the South Island’s West Coast. She was airlifted on March 24, but they were forced to
CONFIDENCE BOOSTER: ’After parkour ... you dare to do a lot of things that you think only young people can do,’ a 67-year-old parkour enthusiast said In a corner of suburban Singapore, Betty Boon vaults a guardrail, crawls underneath a slide, executes forward shoulder rolls and scales a steep slope, finishing the course to applause. “Good job,” the 69-year-old’s coach cheers. This is “geriatric parkour,” where about 20 retirees learned to tackle a series of relatively demanding exercises, building their agility and enjoying a sense of camaraderie. Boon, an upbeat grandmother, said learning parkour has aided her confidence and independence as she ages. “When you’re weak, you will be dependent on someone,” she said after sweating it out with her parkour classmates in suburban Toa Payoh,
Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen (高兟), famous for making provocative satirical sculptures of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東), was tried on Monday over accusations of “defaming national heroes and martyrs,” his wife and a rights group said. Gao, 69, who was detained in 2024 during a visit from the US, faces a maximum three-year prison sentence, said his wife, Zhao Yaliang (趙雅良), and Shane Yi, a researcher at the Chinese Human Rights Defenders group which operates outside the nation. The closed-door, one-day trial took place at Sanhe City People’s Court in Hebei Province neighboring the capital, Beijing, and ended without a
‘TOXIC CLIMATE’: ‘I don’t really recognize Labour anymore... The idea that you can implement far-right ideas in order to stop the far right is nonsense,’ a protester said Tens of thousands of people on Saturday marched through central London to protest against the far right, weeks ahead of local elections and six months after Britain saw one of its largest far-right demonstrations. Organized by hundreds of civic groups, including trade unions, anti-racism campaigners and Muslim representative bodies, Saturday’s Together Alliance event was billed as the biggest in UK history to counter right-wing extremism. A separate pro-Palestinian march had also converged with the main rally. While organizers claimed 500,000 had turned out in total, the police gave a figure of about 50,000. Protesters carrying placards with slogans such as
RSS