Motosu City, Gifu Prefecture
At the Neodani Usuzumi-zakura I remember the supports beneath its branches more than the size of the blossoms
When I looked up at the blossoms, holding the collar of my coat, I noticed several supports beneath the branches. I'd come to admire a huge cherry tree, but found myself thinking about how its branches had been supported through the years.
Read the story of the spring bloom and how the Usuzumi-zakura got its name.
SpringAt peak bloom in early April
I remember the supports beneath its branches more than the size of the blossoms
Several wooden supports stood beneath the blossoms. I came to see the Neodani Usuzumi-zakura in full bloom in early April, and the first thing that caught my eye was how far its branches spread. I knew it was a huge cherry tree, but up close I was surprised by how much space a single tree could fill.
I had a black top under my cream-coloured coat and held its collar as I stood on the park path. When I tipped my head up, I could see blossoms on the low branches and flowers deeper in the canopy. My feet could stay still while my eyes wandered from place to place. I kept looking up longer than I'd meant to.
They say it's over 1,500 years old. I can't really picture a stretch of time that long. But when I look at its thick trunk and crooked branches, I can feel that it has bloomed year after year right up to this spring. It was a different kind of wonder from simply reading the number.
The name Usuzumi-zakura made me imagine dark blossoms. Then I read that it's said to be named for the flowers' changing colours: white at full bloom, then pale ink-grey as they fade. ‘Ah, so that's what it means,’ I thought, taking another look. Even this full bloom was only one moment in the tree's spring.
I followed the wooden supports with my eyes, then looked back at the blossoms. In photos of this great tree, it was always the flowers I remembered. Today, I think the supports will stay with me, too. I loved seeing the little blossoms stirring in the breeze alongside the branches that bear their weight.
After my walk, I started wondering what souvenirs I might find at the Usuzumi Sakura-no-Sato Neo Roadside Station. I heard it has tsukudani made with edible thistle from Neo, and after seeing the blossoms, I wanted to take home a taste of the mountain village, too. For today, I want to take home the memory of those broad branches I kept looking up at from the path.
The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.
Local specialty
Neo Thistle Tsukudani
The Usuzumi Sakura-no-Sato Neo Roadside Station also features tsukudani made with edible thistle from Neo. After taking in the blossoms, I found myself wanting to bring home a taste of the mountain village, too.
Highlights
From pale-pink buds to pale ink-grey petals
The buds are pale pink, the flowers white at full bloom, and as the petals fall, the blossoms are said to turn pale ink-grey. Learning the story behind the name made me want to savour this stage of the bloom.
A towering cherry tree, 17.3m tall
With a trunk circumference of 9.4m, the Usuzumi-zakura is a National Natural Monument. Before I noticed its flowers, the broad branches and their supports caught my eye. Up close, the tree's sheer presence took me by surprise.
Road details
Road to Usuzumi Park
I head for Usuzumi Park in Neo, Motosu City, where I take in the cherry tree from the park path.
When you come to see this enormous tree, take time to walk the path and look up. I looked from one branch to the next.
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