A solitary palm tree on the coast of Kyushu, Japan, captured the imagination of thousands online during Typhoon Shanshan.
A solitary palm tree on the coast of Kyushu, Japan, captured the imagination of thousands online during Typhoon Shanshan.
Typhoon Shanshan’s path across Japan has been closely watched by many as it blasts the country with torrential rain and raging winds.
But as the deadly storm made landfall this week, others were glued to a livestream featuring a solitary palm tree standing up to the fiercely inclement weather, showing us that not all heroes wear capes – some wear fronds.
As the storm approached, the almost 12-hour stream by a Japanese weather station captured the lanky tree on the coast of Kyushu, the country’s southwestern-most main island, whipping back and forth violently – but never toppling.
The dramatic display of resilience won the hearts of thousands online, many of whom flooded the comments to root for the tree – known affectionately as “Yasshi” – to survive.
“Endure!” and “Hold on Yasshi!” some cheered. “Extreme guts”, another wrote. More than one commenter even confessed that they were losing sleep over whether Yasshi would pull through – never mind the typhoon barrelling towards them.
Another likened the footage, which shows Yasshi illuminated brightly against a dark landscape, to a Rembrandt painting.
Shanshan brought wind gusts of up to 136km/h as it roared inland, and the Japanese disaster management agency has reported at least six deaths and more than 100 injuries related to the storm, according to Reuters. It continues to dump rain on Japan.
Still, many eyes were on the defiant palm tree. At one point, more than 12,000 people were watching Yasshi’s fight in real time, according to Jeffrey Hall, a Japan-based researcher who shared the stream on social media. The footage now has 1.5 million views.
One poetic comment got at what may have compelled so many: “Flexibility overcomes strength”, it read, framing the swaying tree as an underdog – a David to Shanshan’s Goliath.
It wasn’t Yasshi’s first rodeo. The tree, located outside the Ocean Hotel Iwato in the city of Makurazaki, in Kagoshima prefecture, has earned fame and celebration for surviving past typhoons. It is designated on Google as a “historical landmark” – with a five-star rating, of course.
Ocean Hotel Iwato even sells merchandise honouring Yasshi. A towel advertised on the hotel’s Instagram account highlights Yasshi’s victory over typhoons in 2022 and 2023, and calls it the “Tree of Courage”. It’s complete with illustrations of Yasshi bent backward in the wind.
Yasshi emerged triumphant again this week. The hotel said in an Instagram message that Yasshi is still standing, and many flocked to its Google page with well-wishes. One person thanked the tree for “giving everyone hope and inspiration”.
On Saturday afternoon, a livestream from the hotel shows the tree in all its glory – under sunny blue skies, wearing its battered leaves like a victor’s laurel wreath, ready for whatever test comes next.
