Usuzumi Cherry Tree and Monet’s Pond, Gifu Prefecture
This lone cherry tree is more than 1,500 years old. It is said to have been planted by Emperor Keitai. Its name, Usuzumi-zakura (“pale ink cherry”), comes from the color of the blossoms: pale pink buds turn white in full bloom and a pale ink-gray color as the petals fall. The tree is 17.3 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 9.4 meters.
Together with the Yamataka Jindai-zakura in Yamanashi Prefecture and the Miharu Takizakura in Fukushima Prefecture, it is counted as one of Japan’s three great cherry trees and is designated as a national natural monument.
Photos from spring 2021.
1. Usuzumi Cherry Tree
We visited at the end of March. The blossoms were perhaps about 80% open.
The view from the front is magnificent.
It is beautiful from every angle, even from far away.
There was a morning haze that day.
There are many beautiful viewpoints along the way, too.
2. Monet’s Pond
This is a small pond at a shrine. Recently there were reports that the ground had sunk and the water quality had worsened because of the many tourists, but to me it looked the same as two years ago.
The pond is in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture.
The area is surrounded by quiet rice fields and a river. I have also come here to camp with my family, and it is a wonderful place.
