Will Miss #378 - sweet osmanthus

Osmanthus fragrans is a type of flowering tree which is pretty common in Tokyo. There is one growing behind my apartment and in front of it. Most Tokyoites recognize it's pleasantly sweet smell and view it as a part of the seasonal change experience. For me, I will not only associate the scent with life in Japan, as the tree is not common in the United States, but also the change from oppressive summer to mild and pleasant autumn. The trees flower when the weather turns cool (usually after the equinox).

I'll miss the scent of osmanthus in the air and the association with the summer ending.

Will Miss #176 - ginkgo trees

Trees are not something that are necessarily abundant in Tokyo, but I live in a ward which has a tree as its icon and that has lined the main street near my home with ginkgo trees. In the autumn, they shed uniformly golden leaves that beautifully blanket the sidewalks at night, and that vanish the next morning when shopkeepers scramble to clear them away. In summer and spring, they add much needed green to the largely gray and boxy visuals of my neighborhood.

I will always associate ginkgo trees with living in Japan and will miss them.

Won't Miss #166 - bound and decapitated trees

One of the things which happens as a result of people living practically on top of each other in Tokyo is that the nature on their respective properties has to be kept in line. I know that trees are cut down, pruned, and managed everywhere in the world, but the level at which they are brutalized into submission in Tokyo sometimes makes me cringe as it so often exceeds what I grew up with in terms of foliage maintenance.


I understand why it is done, but it just feels wrong when I see someone removing half a tree or binding it nearly up to it's crown in order to keep it from growing branches that may obscure the view of a building or spread onto communal or a neighbor's property.

I won't miss seeing these seriously bullied bits of nature, particularly in a culture which boasts frequently about how much it values and respects nature.