Standing proudly in the heart of Nara Prefecture is Mount Yoshino, a World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s top three sakura cherry blossom sites. The view of 30,000 cherry trees blossoming over 50 hectares of the mountainside in spring is simply breathtaking. People who care for cherry trees are known as “sakuramori” or “sakura guardians.” At Mt. Yoshino, three men are in charge of this responsibility: the captain Ito, a native of the Yoshino area; Okunishi, a former landscaper; and the always cheerful Yamaguchi. Sakuramori have a wide range of duties, including picking cherry tree seeds, planting them, growing saplings, planting trees, cultivating soil, weeding, and at times, treating trees that have fallen ill from getting damaged by wild deer. If cherry trees are children, then sakuramori are everything from parents to doctors. The sakura are in full bloom for a mere week, and the sakuramori devote an entire year all for these seven or so days. Captain Ito says, “The more work we put in, the sakura answer to us and bloom beautifully.” Every year, Mt. Yoshino is flooded with tourists during sakura season, but last year was an exception due to the State of Emergency. Even Ito, born and raised by the mountain, had never seen the area so empty. “We’re hoping that this year, people will get to see the sakura that we care for, and perhaps bring a bit of joy to this gloomy world” say the three cherry tree guardians. Come witness the story of the sakuramori.