At Shibamata Taishakuten, a Buddhist temple from Katsushika, Tokyo, I discovered a spectacular example of Japanese ornamental tree.
I’ve seen many trees like this before, but never one with such a large canopy. All the green visible here in front of the temple is actually a single pinetree, with two branches outstretched to the sides, each over a distance of 6 or 7 meters…

It’s been explained to me that this pinetree was shaped in a way similar to the bonsai - by wiring the branches until, after many years, this spectacular shape was achieved:

Shibamata Taishakuten, Katsushika, Tokyo

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Sakamoto Ryoma in Osaka