In the precincts of Ueno Toshogu Shrine, there is a towering camphor tree that is said to be the oldest in Ueno Park

After passing through a long road lined with stone lanterns in Ueno Park, a gilded door appears in front of me. It is the Karamon Gate of Ueno Toshogu Shrine. A shiny gold structure near the Ueno Zoo, which is popular among families for its pandas. The park seems to have two faces: one for children and the other for adults, as a winner of history.

Just looking at the golden Karamon Gate from up close is overwhelming. However, if you pay the entrance fee, you can enter the Sukibei wall and see the main shrine, built in 1651, from up close. The main hall is just as gilded as the Karamon Gate. The amount of gold leaf used is probably greater than that of Karamon. If you think about it, the main hall is even more gilded than the Karamon. I thought it would be a good deal to pay to see it, so I paid the admission fee and headed inside the Sukibei wall.

Just before I passed the ticket counter and entered the Sukibei wall where the main shrine was built, my eyes were drawn to a large tree with a sacred rope wrapped around its trunk. It was a large camphor tree, also known as the Founder Tree of Ueno. Although the trunk of the tree is the thickest in Ueno Park, it is very plain compared to the shiny gold of the main shrine and the Karamon gate of Toshogu Shrine. There's not a hint of gold anywhere. But I felt that a plain camphor tree was more appropriate for me than a shiny one.

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