Document 72 Hours

Tree Burial: To You Under the Cherry Blossoms

The setting is a large cemetery in the suburbs of Tokyo. Among the stone graves, there are scattered cherry tree burials. Tree burials, which have spread nationwide, fulfill the wishes of the deceased to “return to nature.” In spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom, many people come to pay their respects. A man visits weekly to meet his wife, with whom he shared many hardships over the years. Brothers reunite at their father's grave during cherry blossom season. A woman who lost her husband at a young age speaks to the cherry blossoms while holding a beer, her late husband's favorite drink.