Please help me with this tree

[Opticore]

Can anyone please ID this beautiful tree for me?
Always wondered what kind of tree it was, ever since I saw it on my travels in japan.

 

[KTSmith]

Sorry to say, but the photo shows almost no distinguishing characteristics to help with identification! By that I mean flowers, cones, foliage shape and attachment, etc.
Still, I'll jump in. I think you have a gymnosperm there. The two most prevalent non-pine conifers in Japan (at least in a forestry setting) are Chamaecyparis obtusa (Hinoki false-cypress) and Cryptomeria japonica (known in Japan as "sugi" and incorrectly in the west as "Japanese cedar"). I wouldn't be suprised if it were the former. Be aware that simple "picture matching" for ID of these is a tad iffy in that there are lots of horticultural varieties out there, particularly with the former species.

 

[oldoakman]

my first impression was a Hinoki also, but there is something that is just not there either.

 

[RopeShield]

Junipers right off the bat.

 

[tomthetreeman]

Juniperus chinensis 'Hollywood' (Kaikuza or Torulosa as well). They don't typically have a single stem, but it looks like those were pruned that way over the years.

-Tom