There is one place in Tokyo that is said to be one of the best spots to visit during cherry blossom season. It combines old, new, and of course, blooming cherry trees. If you know Tokyo, you may have guessed by now that it is Zōjō-ji Buddhist temple near the Tokyo Tower.
Zōjō-ji temple as seen from Tokyo Tower.
I have told you the story of Tokyo Tower before (see here), so this time I just wanted to share a few more photos.
The old, the new and the cherry blossoms.
If you notice rows of statues of children, decorated with small clothing and toy windmills, it is the unborn children garden. The statues represent miscarried, aborted or stillborn children, and parents can choose a statue, decorate it and also leave a small gift for the guardian of unborn children, Jizō, to ease their journey to the afterlife.
The unborn children garden.
While Sakura trees bloom, reminding of the short and fragile nature of life, the unborn children garden is full of very lively colours…
“What a strange thing!
to be alive
beneath cherry blossoms.”
― Kobayashi Issa, Poems
Tokyo Tower as seen from Zōjō-ji temple.