JOURNAL ・ FIELD NOTES
The Weeping Cherry of Joenji ― An Edo-higan Blooming at the Foot of the Skyscrapers
Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo. In a corner of a district where towers of glass and concrete cut the sky into pieces, there is a place where spring itself suddenly appears. The weeping cherry of Joenji. Its pale-pink blossoms spill downward like a soundless waterfall, softening the cold edges of the skyscrapers above. People have paused before this single tree since the days of old Edo.
A Single Waterfall at the Foot of the Towers
The first time I stood before this cherry, I noticed the sound disappear. The traffic on Ome Street, the footsteps of commuters heading for the station ― somehow they all grow distant before this pale-pink waterfall. A weeping cherry does not so much bloom as overflow. Countless slender branches follow their own weight into quiet arcs, and at their tips the blossoms swell, layer upon layer. Look up, and behind them stands the hard silhouette of the buildings. Soft flowers, straight skyscrapers. It is within that contrast that the tender life of the cherry seems to shine most clearly. What moves me, I think, is the simple fact that this one tree continues to stand there at all.
A Famous Cherry of Shinjuku, Carried Down from Edo
The weeping cherry of Joenji is said to be a tree of real lineage, once counted among the celebrated cherries of Edo alongside those of Dentsuin in Koishikawa and Korinji in Hiroo. The tree we look up at today is said to be the third in its line, quietly keeping the memory of the blossoms that Edo's people once admired ― here, in the very midst of a modern city of towers. In my own work in emergency medicine, I usually live chased by the clock, but standing before this cherry I am reminded how differently time can flow. A single tree that has repeated spring on this land for centuries, and the rest of us hurrying past it. Simply standing within that difference of time, I find my breath grows a little deeper.
The towers cut the sky.
At their feet, the cherry quietly spills its spring.
Planning your visit ― season
On the loveliest season, and a few words for your visit.
The best time is usually around late March. The weeping cherry of Joenji belongs to the Edo-higan family, and it tends to open a little earlier than the more common Somei-yoshino. In some years the tree is lit up at night during full bloom, and the pale pink rising out of the darkness is something special ― but the timing shifts from year to year, so please check the temple's own notices for the latest information. Please also remember that Joenji is an active Nichiren Buddhist temple. The grounds are a place for quiet prayer, so we kindly ask for your consideration: keep your voice low, do not enter the graves or the halls, and photograph only in ways that do not disturb others.
Getting there
Joenji stands along Ome Street in Nishi-Shinjuku. It is very close to Nishi-Shinjuku Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line ― about a one-minute walk. From the west exit of JR Shinjuku Station it is roughly a six-minute walk, and it is also only a few minutes on foot from Shinjuku-nishiguchi Station on the Toei Oedo Line. Though it sits in the very heart of the high-rise district, the moment you step in from the street the air seems to change. Watching the towers draw gradually closer to the cherry as you walk from the station is itself one of the pleasures unique to this place.
Tips for photographers
The charm of this cherry lies, above all, in its contrast with the skyscrapers. Deliberately placing the towers in the background, so that soft blossoms and hard straight lines share a single frame, creates a story you could only photograph in Shinjuku. To make the most of the weeping form, a vertical composition that follows the movement of the branches from top to bottom works well. The pale-pink blossoms blow out to white easily, so keep your exposure slightly on the darker side. Soft light on an overcast day renders the colour of the petals honestly, while a clear blue sky and the glass faces of the towers behind make for an even more urban frame. Early morning, when there are few people, is also a fine time ― you can capture the quiet itself.
While you're in the area
If you have time to wander from Joenji, head just to the west to Shinjuku Central Park. Beneath a wide sky that mirrors the high-rise towers, you can enjoy an unhurried spring stroll. A little farther on lies Shinjuku Gyoen, a celebrated garden with a great variety of cherry species, where the blossoms of different varieties shift gradually and the season can be enjoyed for a long stretch. From a single cherry at the foot of the skyscrapers to the spacious cherries of a great garden ― it makes for a day of touring the many faces of spring that the city of Shinjuku has to show.
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