A golden tunnel limited to autumn only! 6 Best Spots for Japan’s Most Beautiful Ginkgo Trees

3. Aomori — Kitakanegasawa
Located in Kitakanegasawa, Futsukaichi Town, Aomori Prefecture, this place boasts Japan’s tallest ginkgo tree, which stands over 40 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 22 meters. With an age of over 1,000 years, it was designated as a National Natural Monument in 2004 and has been worshipped as a sacred tree by locals since ancient times.

Best viewing time: November to December

▲ Hokkaido University’s ginkgo forest takes on a different charm at night.

4. Hokkaido University
Hokkaido University owns vast research forests in Kushiro, managed by its Faculty of Agriculture. Aside from offering students opportunities to learn directly in nature, parts of the forest are also open to the public for visiting.

When the foliage season arrives, the area is flooded with visitors and local citizens. There is also a nighttime illumination event after sunset, making it a must-see autumn highlight in Hokkaido.

Best viewing time: Late October to early November

▲ The contrast of ancient temples and autumn leaves creates the most beautiful scene in Naritasan Park during fall.

5. Chiba — Naritasan Park
Covering approximately 165,000 square meters, Naritasan Park is located behind the main hall of the famous Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. Over 250 ginkgo and maple trees are scattered throughout the park, each vying for attention and complementing the thousand-year-old temple. This adds vibrancy and beauty to the solemn and traditional atmosphere of the shrine.

Naritasan Park holds an annual Autumn Leaves Festival, which runs from November 15 to 30 this year. The most popular spots for viewing the foliage include the Naritasan Calligraphy Art Museum and the area around Ryuchi Pond.

Best viewing time: Mid-November to late November

▲ The ginkgo-lined street of Midosuji. (Photo / From theOsaka Travel Fan Page)

6. Osaka Midosuji Boulevard
If there’s one natural sight that best represents Osaka, it might be the rows of ginkgo trees stretching along Midosuji Avenue, which was designated as an Osaka Municipal Cultural Asset in 2000 as a “historic landscape symbolizing modern Osaka.”

However, Midosuji wasn’t always lined with ginkgo trees. When the Osaka city government was deciding on the type of street trees to plant, a debate ensued. Most people believed that plane trees, which were popular at the time, should be chosen. But a minority opinion argued that ginkgo trees had a distinctive style, a strong sense of seasonality, and were unique to the East—making them exotic to foreigners and more fitting for Osaka, which aimed to establish itself as an international city.

In the end, the Osaka city government decided to plant ginkgo trees south of Otemachi Bridge and plane trees from Osaka Station to Otemachi Bridge. The 928 ginkgo trees were planted in 1937. Up to the present day, the golden hues of ginkgo trees have replaced the plane trees, and the area north of Otemachi Bridge is now also fully planted with ginkgoes.

Best viewing time: Late November to early December