Journal

Arboriculture Knowledge from Japan

Field documentation, research, and insights on Japanese tree culture, tree diagnosis, garden design, urban greening, and landscape stewardship.

Daisugi: The 600-Year-Old Japanese Technique of Growing Trees on Trees

Japan Culture 2026.07.12

Daisugi: The 600-Year-Old Japanese Technique of Growing Trees on Trees

Daisugi (台杉) is a traditional Japanese forestry technique in which a single “mother tree” is kept alive while multiple perfectly straight cedar… Read Article

Shakkei: The Japanese Art of Borrowing Scenery in Garden Design

Urban Landscape 2026.06.27

Shakkei: The Japanese Art of Borrowing Scenery in Garden Design

What if the mountain beyond your garden wall could become part of the garden itself? That is the essence of shakkei (借景)… Read Article

Typhoon-Proofing Trees: Japan’s Wind-Resistant Pruning Methods

Urban Landscape 2026.06.13

Typhoon-Proofing Trees: Japan’s Wind-Resistant Pruning Methods

Every year, a tree’s resilience is tested by typhoons. Japan is approached by an average of roughly 25 typhoons annually, with around… Read Article

Midori Tsumi: Reading a Pine Tree’s Future in Its Spring Candles

Japan Culture 2026.06.07

Midori Tsumi: Reading a Pine Tree’s Future in Its Spring Candles

In May, candle-like new shoots begin to extend from the tips of every pine branch. What those candles mean — which direction… Read Article

Why Are Japanese Street Trees So Small? Lessons from Barcelona, Athens, and Hanoi

Urban Landscape 2026.05.31

Why Are Japanese Street Trees So Small? Lessons from Barcelona, Athens, and Hanoi

Walking under the broad canopy of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, strolling past freely branching trees lining the streets of Athens, and marveling… Read Article

Japan’s Sacred Giant: The 2,000-Year-Old Camphor Tree of Kinomiya Shrine

Japan Culture 2026.05.17

Japan’s Sacred Giant: The 2,000-Year-Old Camphor Tree of Kinomiya Shrine

In the coastal city of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, a single camphor tree has been standing for more than 2,000 years. This is… Read Article

What a Submerged Forest Teaches Us About Landscape Design: Ecology Over Aesthetics

Japan Culture 2026.05.17

What a Submerged Forest Teaches Us About Landscape Design: Ecology Over Aesthetics

Why does a landscape exist where it does? Standing at the edge of Nishiakiko Lake in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, and watching trees… Read Article

Aerial Tree Diagnosis at a Tokyo Temple: What Arborsonic 3D and Rope Climbing Revealed Inside the Trees

Tree Risk 2026.05.15

Aerial Tree Diagnosis at a Tokyo Temple: What Arborsonic 3D and Rope Climbing Revealed Inside the Trees

In Japan, a certified tree specialist known as a jumoku-i (樹木医) carries the responsibility of diagnosing and treating trees — from ancient… Read Article

Ishiwari Zakura: The 360-Year-Old Cherry Tree Growing Through Stone in Morioka, Japan

Urban Landscape 2026.05.10

Ishiwari Zakura: The 360-Year-Old Cherry Tree Growing Through Stone in Morioka, Japan

In the heart of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, a single cherry tree blooms quietly each spring — not in a park or along… Read Article

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