The Christmas tree at the main entrance on the 2nd floor of Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens Main Building looks like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
(This information was provided by Toki no Tabibito, a Nishitsu supporter. Thank you!)
Here it is↓
I-is this… balloons?
It’s a white, gold, and silver balloon Christmas tree!! So cool.
I-it’s floating!It was actually gently swaying around.
Whoa, the silver ones are super reflective～～. A child saw their own reflection in them and was staring at it curiously～
There was one thing I was curious about…
With balloons, don’t you kind of expect the air to leak out naturally, or for them to pop??
Apparently, they actually tested these balloons for three months to make sure they would hold up in the temperature environment inside Gardens.
And the company that made it is “Uemura Co., Ltd.,” a company founded 334 years ago.
They also made last year’s beautiful all-white recycled paper Christmas tree↓
“Uemura Co., Ltd.” was founded in Genroku 2, and back in the time of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, they apparently made kanzashi hair ornaments.
This sparkling clock tower that shines in rainbow colors was also created by Uemura Co., Ltd. I thought it was wonderful that they’ve been making decorative things from the Edo period all the way to the Reiwa era.
By the way, they apparently start planning the Gardens Christmas tree a year in advance. That’s some seriously long-term planning.
This time, they spent three months testing the balloons, one month producing everything, and then five sleepless nights assembling it inside Gardens.
It’s been 15 years since Gardens opened.
A child who was 0 years old back then would now be in their third year of junior high school. It brings back all kinds of memories.
※Toki no Tabibito, Nishitsu supporter, thank you for the information!!
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