Tokyo's iconic cherry blossom season is being overshadowed by safety concerns as many of its beloved Somei Yoshino trees, planted during Japan's post-war boom, are now succumbing to old age. The fragility of these historic trees was starkly highlighted on Thursday when two collapsed in the capital.
One at Kinuta Park damaged a fence, while another at the Chidorigafuchi greenway narrowly avoided falling into the Imperial Palace moat. Fortunately, no one was injured in these incidents. The Kinuta Park tree, an 18-metre giant with a 2.5-metre diameter, was believed to be over 60 years old, officials confirmed. This follows a separate incident in March at the same park, where an old cherry tree collapse resulted in injuries to a passerby, underscoring the growing risk posed by the ageing flora.
