Takinotsubakikoen Park

The camellia here is estimated at over a thousand years old, and the sight of the whole tree buried under deep purple-crimson flowers is remarkable. It stands in a deep valley: 9.7 metres tall, with a combined branch spread of 10 metres and a trunk 3.26 metres around. It is a yabu-tsubaki, and specialists who examined it concluded that it is among the oldest of its species in Japan and may well be the original stock. It is a natural monument designated by Kyoto Prefecture and appears in the prefecture's list of 200 natural treasures under the plant category.