Tokyo’s iconic Somei Yoshino cherry trees, planted during Japan’s postwar growth, are showing their age and raising safety concerns as the city celebrates hanami. Several trees have collapsed this year and many more need support or removal, prompting inspections and warnings across parks.
Two large cherry trees toppled recently, one at Kinuta Park that damaged a fence and another at the Chidorigafuchi greenway that nearly fell into the Imperial Palace moat. No one was injured in those incidents. The Kinuta Park tree was about 18 meters tall and 2.5 meters in trunk diameter and is believed to be more than 60 years old. In March, another old cherry at Kinuta fell and injured a passerby.
Last year, 85 trees fell across Tokyo parks, injuring three people, according to Masakazu Noguchi, a Tokyo metropolitan official responsible for public parks. The frequency of collapses, many involving cherry trees, has put pressure on city authorities as crowds gather under the blossoms during the short hanami season.
Officials say aging, internal rot from fungi, and stress from recent climate extremes are the main causes of deterioration. A veteran tree specialist, Hiroyuki Wada, identifies warning signs such as heavy leaning, flowers appearing low on the trunk instead of on top, fungus or mushrooms at the base, and trunks that retain water after rain. He notes that many urban trees were planted in the postwar decades and are now decades old and weakening, withstanding hotter summers and prolonged dry spells.
Wada urged the public to view the problem as a symptom of changing climate conditions that are testing older urban greenery. Assembly member Yutaka Kazama warned that trees with exposed roots or obvious decay look dangerous and called for concrete safety measures while cautioning against indiscriminate felling.
City crews have stepped up inspections ahead of peak bloom. At Kinuta Park officials conducted preliminary checks on more than 800 cherry trees, removed a number of high-risk specimens and posted warning signs around others. The tree that fell recently did not have a caution sign. Noguchi acknowledged the work is mostly temporary and said fundamental steps such as large-scale replanting will take time, urging visitors to stay cautious even after inspections.
Inokashira Park, one of Tokyo’s most popular hanami spots, has been part of a longer-term replanting effort. Dozens of aging cherry trees have been removed in recent years to make way for younger replacements, a change some locals lament because familiar rings of blossoms around the pond have been lost.
Despite the risks, many people continue to come for the blossoms, mindful of safety measures. Visitors say they try to keep their distance from trunks and follow posted warnings so they can still enjoy the brief pink display.
Cherry blossoms, or sakura, remain deeply symbolic in Japan and typically peak in late March to early April, coinciding with the start of the school and business year. The current spate of tree failures has highlighted both the cultural importance of these trees and the practical challenges of managing aging urban forests in a warming climate.
