Many thanks for joining Tokyo Free Walking tour at Asakusa and Ueno Park on February 23, 2025. We welcomed 11 guests from Canada, Australia, Scotland, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India. It was a tremendous opportunity for us to meet wonderful guests from many countries and share interesting conversations. As promised, group photos and snapshots are attached so that you can remember the fun times we had during the tour.
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The Somei Yoshino, known as the iconic cherry blossom, was born around the mid-Edo period. It is said that gardeners in Somei Village of Edo (now Komagome, Toshima Ward) artificially created it through crossbreeding. The Somei Yoshino is a clone propagated by grafting from a parent tree. Born in Edo, the Somei Yoshino spread nationwide from Ueno and continues to be beloved by people today. But where is its parent tree? Recent research has revealed that it is most likely a Somei Yoshino near the statue of Prince Komatsu Akihito in Ueno Park. There are four Somei Yoshino trees planted in this location, and it is believed that these trees served as the source from which the variety spread across Japan. Among them, one tree has been identified as the closest to the original parent tree of the Somei Yoshino. This year, the Somei Yoshino in Tokyo is expected to bloom on March 21. If you are visiting Japan around that time, why not stop by Ueno Park to discover the roots of the Somei Yoshino? We look forward to guiding you!
The combined tour with Asakusa in the morning and Ueno Park in the afternoon is not mandated, but it is just our recommendation. You can choose either of the tours as you wish.
Once again, thank you for choosing Tokyo Free Walking Tour during your precious time in Tokyo. In case you happen to be back in Tokyo, please join another one of our tours. Your feedback is important and helpful to us. If you enjoyed our tour, please consider posting a review on TripAdvisor/Facebook, etc. Your comments will help contribute to higher-quality tours.
For more information about our tour, please visit our website at https://tfwt.jp/top/asakusa/, https://tfwt.jp/top/ueno/, https://www.facebook.com/TokyoFWT or Tokyo Free Walking Tour at https://www.tripadvisor.jp/ .
(Posted by Yutaka)