Miharu Takizakura, Ancient cherry tree in Miharu, Japan

Miharu Takizakura is a weeping cherry tree of the Benishidare variety in Miharu, Fukushima Prefecture. It stands 12 metres tall, with a trunk circumference of 9.5 metres and a root spread of 11 metres; its branches extend 22 metres east-west and 18 metres north-south. In bloom, pale pink flowers hang from the branches like a waterfall, and wooden poles support the limbs.

In the Tenpo era the tree became known through a poem by Kamo no Kisotaka and was protected as a tree for official use by the lord of Miharu Domain. On 12 October 1922 it was designated a national natural monument together with two other cherry trees. In 1996 poor flowering prompted a survey and a plan of soil aeration and root recovery.

The name Takizakura comes from the tree's location in the Taki district of Miharu and from the pale pink blossoms that fall from its branches like a waterfall each mid to late April. In the Tenpo era the poem by Kamo no Kisotaka spread its fame, and the lord of Miharu Domain protected it as an official tree. Today about 300,000 visitors come each year, and a viewing fee was introduced in 2010.

Peak bloom falls in mid to late April. From JR Miharu Station on the Ban'etsu East Line the tree is about 8 km away, with paid shuttle buses running at peak season; by car it is about 3 km from the Funahiki-Miharu interchange, where paid parking opens nearby. Expect heavy road congestion while the tree is in flower.

Between 2008 and 2009, seeds from the Miharu Takizakura and 14 other flower species spent eight and a half months aboard the International Space Station's Kibo module, then returned to Earth so researchers could study how weightlessness affected their growth. The resulting plants are known as "space cherry" trees.