Hundreds of Yoshino Cherry Trees Bursting into Bloom 

One of Tōkyō’s most renowned cherry blossom viewing sites is the Chidori-ga-fuchi moat in the park-like grounds of Tokyo Imperial Palace, an oasis in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. Located on the northwestern edge of the palace grounds, Chidori-ga-fuchi moat was constructed at the same time as the former Edo Castle, fortress of the Tokugawa shoguns, utilising an existing stream that flowed south towards Hibiya. In spring, as the water in the moat warms up and the sun’s rays sparkle across the surface, two hundred and sixty cherry trees burst into bloom, enticing visitors into a fantasy world of pale pink.

＜学名＞ソメイヨシノ：Prunus×yedoensis／エドヒガン：Prunus pendula／オオシマザクラ：Prunus lannesiana var.speciosa

This annual spectacle attracts visitors from all over Tōkyō and beyond. Some choose to take a leisurely stroll along the Chidori-ga-fuchi Ryokudō greenway beside the moat, which transforms into a cherry blossom tunnel in spring. Meanwhile, down on the water itself, others wobble about in rowboats, revelling in the spring scene amid cherry blossom petals that flutter down from the ‘Somei-yoshino’ cherry trees lining both sides of the moat.

The Somei-yoshino, known in English as the ‘Yoshino Flowering Cherry’, is a natural hybrid of the weeping ‘Edo Higan’ cherry and the upright ‘Ōshima-zakura’. It originated during the late Edo Period (1603-1868) in Somei Village, which at that time was a centre for the horticulture industry in what is now Kagome, in Toshima Ku, Tōkyō. It is a sturdy, quick-growing tree, famous around the world for its spectacular pale pink blossoms, which measure about four centimetres across and are borne on bare branches before the leaves appear. As many as four blossoms burst forth from each flower bud, giving the Somei-yoshino its characteristic exuberant appearance when in full bloom.

[Botanical Names] Somei-yoshino cherry: Prunus x yedoensis / Edo Higan cherry: Prunus pendula / Ōshima-zakura: Prunus lannesiana var. speciosa