Do you know the Epic of Gilgamesh? This is one of the world’s oldest stories with ancient Mesopotamia as the scene. The highlight of the story is the King of Gilgamesh’s defeat of Humbaba, the protector god of the forest. After eliminating Humbaba, Gilgamesh brings back a Lebanon Cedar tree. The narrative portrays the historical turning point when humans turned from opposing nature to being in a position of control over nature.
The Lebanon Cedar is a valuable material for the construction of buildings or boats. Because it is an extremely valuable resource, over the course of history humans have stolen it from one another, and it has even served as a spark for war. The result is that nowadays it is in danger of extinction. The Lebanese national flag depicts the Lebanon cedar, but it is rare to actually see the tree, even in Lebanon.
Surprisingly Shinjuku Gyoen is home the Lebanon Cedar. How do Lebanese people see this scenery? Try to imagine it like this. If Japanese sakura were to go extinct everywhere except in Washington D.C., what feeling would Japanese people have when visiting and seeing this landscape of sakura?