JOURNAL ・ FIELD NOTES

Nanjamonja — Niiza's White Miracle, by Day and by Night

In Niiza, Saitama, there is a season when, almost overnight, white flowers cover the branches like snow. Nanjamonja — properly, Hitotsubatago. As if snow had drifted down in spring, slender four-petalled flowers spill over every branch and glow softly beneath a blue sky. The tree in this photograph is not one of the well-known avenues, but a single tree standing quietly somewhere in Niiza. Little known even to locals, it drew an unexpectedly big response when the photo went up on social media — a tree of unforgettable presence.

Not snow, but the white of May

The first time I saw it, I nearly lost track of the season. It was a brilliant May, everything fresh and green — yet this one tree alone seemed wrapped in deep winter snow. Up close, looking up, what I had taken for snow turned out to be countless thread-thin white flowers. Each one is tiny, almost fragile, and yet gathered in their thousands they smother the branches, swaying with every passing breeze until the whole crown seems to breathe. Nanjamonja — 'what on earth is that tree?' — a name born of the question itself, asked again and again until it stuck. That plain, almost playful sound suits this pale, fleeting white surprisingly well. People stop, they look up, they raise their cameras. Everyone speaks a little more softly here, perhaps because this white feels delicate enough to break at a loud word.

Blue by day, darkness by night — two miracles

This tree startles me twice in a single day. By day, set against a clear blue sky, the white crown holds a crisp outline, catching the light and laughing brightly. But after the sun goes down and a faint light touches it, the very same tree wears an entirely different face. The branches dissolve into darkness, and the white flowers alone hang in the air, lit faintly as if from within, utterly still. The joy of daytime, the prayer of night. As an emergency physician chased by the clock with no real difference between day and night, I found something quietly redemptive in seeing one place hold two such different faces. The bloom lasts only a week or two — and it is exactly that brevity that makes it so dear.

It blooms like snow and vanishes like snow.
One May tree in Niiza, returning white to the sky.

Planning your visit — season

The white peak is only a brief moment.

The nanjamonja (Hitotsubatago) is usually at its best from around early to mid-May. As the new greenery deepens, the snow-white flowers open all at once, and full bloom lasts only a week or two. Timing shifts a little from year to year with the weather, so it is worth checking how far the blossom has come before you set out. Niiza does have its own well-known nanjamonja avenues, but the tree shown here is a different one, away from those famous spots. The peak shifts with each year's weather, so please check the latest conditions before you set out.

About the location — kept a quiet secret

To be honest, we have chosen not to reveal exactly where this tree stands. Somewhere in Niiza, is all we will say. It seems even locals barely knew of it, yet it is so magnificent that when the photo went up on social media it drew an unexpectedly large response — and so we would rather leave it in peace, and not burden the tree with crowds. Still, for anyone who simply must know: a hint waits somewhere among the posts and comments on our Instagram (@ikebanadoctor). Take a peek, and you might just find your way to the answer.

Tips for photographers

By day, the secret is to make the most of the blue sky. Shoot into front light with the white flowers set against the sky and each delicate petal turns almost translucent, for a clean, refreshing frame. The white blows out easily, so hold the exposure back just a touch. A slightly faster shutter to freeze the wind-blown branch tips keeps the texture of the white intact. For the night light-up, set up a tripod and work slowly at low ISO. Make the floating white your sole subject and let the background fall to black, and that sense of flowers 'rising out of the dark' comes through just as you saw it. In the brief window just after the lights come on, while a deep blue still lingers in the sky, the navy heavens and white blossom make a beautiful contrast — a moment that is neither quite day nor night.

While you're in the area

If you have time, walk on to Heirinji, the great old temple at the heart of Niiza. Wrapped in a vast coppiced woodland that preserves the old character of the Musashino plain, its grounds are lush in the new-green season and famous again for autumn colour. Follow the clear waters of the Nobidome Irrigation Channel that runs beside the avenues, or wander the town's green paths where flowers bloom through the seasons, and you sense a richness here that goes well beyond the nanjamonja alone. After the white flowers, a quiet green walk — it makes for a lovely half-day.

🌳 Niiza's white miracle, in a single print

We deliver the white of Niiza's nanjamonja in May as a silver-halide print on FUJICOLOR's finest photographic paper. We ship worldwide.

View the print →