Lone Cherry Tree of Kamegamori

The Cherry Blossoms of Tohoku

Iwate Prefecture / A solitary cherry tree in the mountains above Miyako

Kamegamori, Miyako, Iwate

Kamegamori is in the mountains above Miyako, in Iwate Prefecture.

I came across this tree during a spring filming journey through Tohoku.

It stood on a hill, and its bloom was said to last only a few days.

I returned more than once to catch it at the right moment.

What stayed with me most was not only the tree itself, but the cold night air and the time spent there.

It was a quiet place, and that quietness still returns to me in spring.

The tree was later damaged by bears and is said to have died.

Even so, I still remember that night on the hill.