Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Many of Tokyo’s famous cherry blossom trees were planted during the 1960s. Now, they are getting old and weak.
Some trees have fallen, and many others need help, which has raised safety concerns as people in Japan celebrate their favourite flower.
Two cherry blossom trees collapsed earlier this month, one at Kinuta Park and the other at the Chidorigafuchi greenway.
The tree in Kinuta Park is thought to be over 60 years old, according to officials. In March, another old cherry tree fell in the park and hurt a person walking by. After this, officials did tree health checks but warned that visitors should still be careful.
Last year, 85 trees fell in Tokyo parks, injuring three people, and many were cherry trees, according to Masakazu Noguchi, a Tokyo metropolitan official in charge of public parks.
Ageing and erosion by fungus growth are among the main causes for the weakness of the cherry blossom trees.
