The tallest tree in Shinjuku Gyoen is a 46 meter London planetree. In Japanese it is called “Suzukake” because the seeds are bell shaped. It was planted early on in the garden, and in Shinjuku Gyoen it is said to have one of the longest histories. The Suzukake is frequently seen in trees that line the streets, including the Imperial Palace and the official guest residence. The seeds that were raised in Shinjuku Gyoen were spread throughout the country.
The thickest tree in Shinjuku Gyoen is also the Suzukake. There have also been Suzukake trees that have fallen due to the the strong winds of typhoons because they are so huge that sometimes the tree cannot bear its own weight. You can surely see a sign of this because the trees are aided by the bands wrapped around the trunk. If you look at a damaged spot on the tree, you can see it may be hollowed out inside. Yet, while it is not completely dead, the tree can actually lay roots in the wound to try to regenerate itself.
Do you see trees as living beings? If they are in fact alive what does this mean? If we are talking about cell division, or where growth actually occurs, then we mean the boundary between the outermost rings and the bark. In the few millimeters between this boundary there is life. In this way, if a small part of the tree remains then life can go on. Maybe this is the same for human civilization. We are living on the outermost side of the annual rings which were accumulated by our ancestors. So on top of our annual rings our children will overlay their rings, and life will continue. If you think of it like that, then we are just one part of the human tree.