A man doesn’t plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity.
—Alexander Smith
The tree-lined street in Chiyoda, in the heart of Tokyo, that flanks the Imperial Palace and the current residence of the Emperor of Japan.
Sombre, grand and bare, right? But, to me, they looked extremely graceful, stark and beautiful—so much so, that one photograph would never do justice to them, so I settled for a couple of shots. This one turned out to be my favourite.
As I walked past them, that chilly April morning, just before heading towards the serpentine queue that led to the Imperial Palace gardens, I wondered what these trees would look like, were they laden with leaves and in full bloom? Were they flowering trees? If so, what would be their colours? Would they be as grand as they seemed then?
Somehow, I was content seeing them as they were and that is what mattered the most.
What do you think of them?
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Thursday Tree love is a photo feature on Parul’s blog that is hosted on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. The next edition will go live on March 12, 2020. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her post.
It’s beautiful! And you are right – laden with leaves, flowers or bare, they are majestic and impressive. Thank you for joining with this lovely entry, Esha. I am so glad you did. I hope to see you back on the 12th.
Glorious indeed! Their leafless state gives them a strange strong beauty!
Trees are my favorite thing in nature. Thanks for sharing these lovely trees.
There’s a different kind of appeal to grim looking skeletal trees. They remind me of Poplar trees in winter. These must look great in Autumn
They seem skeletal – not “dead,” but revealing the underlying structure of the tree, the “bones” of the tree. Just as the framing of a house reveals its structure and its strength. Unclothed, unadorned, and simple. Come spring, we’ll see what else they’re made of, what those bones support.
The trees when they have bare branches have a charm of their own. These look lovely. But yes, I wonder what they would look like with all the leaves and/or flowers.
I love their triangular shape – it’s so uniform that I wonder if it on purpose. Strangely enough I too shared the pic of bare trees this edition and it’s precisely becomes they looked just enough.
Really a great shot Esha and love your thoughts on them.
Rightly chosen for the Imperial Palace – the trees are so beautiful and stately! I’d love to visit Japan someday.
Would love to see when they bloom.
Trees without leaves have a special character. They are patiently awaiting the signal Nature will give them at the right time. We are looking at a miracle in the making.
Beautiful picture!
These trees appear to be serene, like they have seem the world and its ways and have taken it in their stride. Unlike us, humans, who have everything and yet complain about everything!
I associate Japan with cherry blossom, one of the most after experience in this little country. These trees look huge. I guess spring should have set in April, but it doesn’t seem so from the state of trees.
I also find these trees with their bare branches reaching into the sun very majestic. This is such a stunning shot! I love the shape of the branches!