Snow Protection Work Begins for Trees in Edo-Period Oyakuen Garden in Fukushima Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:32 JST, November 18, 2025

AIZUWAKAMATSU, Fukushima — Preparations for the snow season began on Monday at Oyakuen garden in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, with workers starting the process of yuki-tsuri to protect the trees from the weight of snow.

The garden was constructed around the mid-Edo period as a villa for the Aizu Matsudaira feudal clan and designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 1932. It is now open to the public and one of the major tourist attractions of the city.

On Monday, five staff members erected 3-meter-high poles beside the tree trunks and tied about 40 ropes, hung radially from the top of each pole, to the branches. They will prepare a total of 33 trees in the garden, including Japanese white pines, dwarf Japanese yew and juniper, by the end of November.

“We’ll work hard so visitors can enjoy the garden’s winter scenery,” an official of Oyakuen said.