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If you’re in Tokyo to enjoy the fall foliage, Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue can be one of the best spots. It’s a scenic spot in Tokyo Metropolis from mid-November to early December when autumn peeps to Japan.
The spot is conveniently located in central Tokyo, and people can easily access it from any downtown Tokyo business district. Besides, you can enjoy this beautiful sight by enjoying delicious food from nearby food booths.
Location:
Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue is a connection between Meiji Jingu Gaien Park and the office buildings of Aoyamas’s business area. However, it’s also called Icho Namiki Avenue.
Icho Namiki means to ‘stand in a row of ginkgo trees’ or ‘a path with ginkgo trees.’
This short avenue transforms into autumn colors, and thousands of people visit this beautiful scene every day. This magnificent avenue becomes overcrowded from morning to evening.
The location is an easy walk from the nearest stations.
History:
Meijijingu Gaien Park has a long gorgeous history, including Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue.
A world-famous early modern Japanese landscape and urban planner, Yoshinobu Orishimo, designed the ginkgo trees in the outer garden of the Meiji Shrine. He joined as a Meijijingu construction engineer in 1915.
The purpose of planting Ginkgo Biloba, known as Gingko Trees or Ginkgo Trees, on both sides of the road is to create a pleasant landscape urban view.
Of course, the beauty of Ginkgo trees remains whole the year. Green in the rainy season and golden yellow in autumn.
However, many people don’t plant these trees for some reason. In addition, the trees are dioecious, which means these trees are either male or female.
Male flowers look like tiny clusters of catkins and produce pollen. On the other hand, female ripening fruits are messy and smelly.
However, visitors thank Yoshinobu Orishimo for taking the challenge by planting these absolutely gorgeous Gingko Trees here.
Best Autumn foliage:
Gingko Avenue is only 300 meters long. However, it’s dense, with 146 tall ginkgo trees planted 9 meters apart, keeping the same distance from one another.
In addition, it’s the top spot in Tokyo Metropolitan, where people can see Ginkgo autumn leaves in Tokyo.
Meiji Jingu Gaien is actually an outer garden of the Meiji Jingu Shrine.
Illumination:
Tokyo Metropolitan Government included some great spots to enhance further the city’s charms, increasing public facilities including lighting up, and Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue is one of these beautiful spots. The light-up starts from the last week of November(23) to December first week.
The venue is one of Tokyo’s most famous autumn leaves and colorful displays.
Icho Matsuri:
Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Festival, or Icho Matsuri, takes place around mid-November to early December every year. It’s a famous autumn leaves festival where thousands of people enjoy autumn by tasting delicious festival food in Tokyo Metropolitan.
Food vendors install food stalls under the Ginkgo Trees. Besides, local and international street performers show their outstanding performances.
Moreover, it’s like other family events where the whole family with kids can enjoy autumn and delicious Japanese food.
However, the best food items are coal-roasted fish, French fry, ramen balls, pancakes, local dishes mixed with shiitake mushrooms, and roasted chestnuts.
For your information, please keep some cash flow because some of the food booths may only accept cash.
(Note: Icho Matsuri 2022 was canceled)
Biking and walking:
Do you like biking?
Tokyo people enjoy biking, and autumn is the best season to bike in Tokyo. If you’re one of them, you love biking under the yellow leaves.
Road biking becomes more enjoyable in autumn scenery. The bike path covers with fallen leaves. That’s why some tourists include the avenue in their cycling tour.
Besides, the fallen Golden leaves fully cover both sides of the pedestrian road, and many people love walking and jogging over the golden leaves early in the morning.
Some locals consider jogging over the yellow leaves like hiking on natural walkways on Mount Fuji. But, unlikely, it’s not easy to find such a beautiful scene on city streets in Tokyo.
Besides, some people practice yoga in the morning nearby the fountain with music.
Best photo spots:
There are three best photo spots to take great photos of yellow Ginkgo Trees leaves.
- From the fountain nearby the Baseball field
- Middle(entrance of the Tennis Court)
- In front of the Metlife Aoyama Building(Aoyama-dori Ave)
These three spots are the best to put the stand in the morning and evening during golden hour.
On public holidays, Saturday and Sunday, the street transform into an entirely pedestrian precinct.
However, if you want to take great photos, arrive early morning before it gets overcrowded.
Have you heard about Mount Fuji Kawaguchiko autumn lake?
The Kawaguchiko is a vast lake that gets overcrowded in autumn because visitors worldwide want to enjoy the beauty of mount Fuji and the lake in autumn. As a result, Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue and surrounding areas become crowded, like Kawaguchiko lake.
So, when you’re in Tokyo during the autumn, you can visit it. However, if you want to take great photos, arrive early in the morning before it gets overcrowded.
Best time to visit:
Early morning in late November to early December.
The best time to visit Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue is late November to early December. Visitors can enjoy the bright yellow leaves of the Ginkgo Trees and the blue contrast clear autumn sky.
However, sometimes, autumn comes earlier. But you can get daily updates on social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
So you can visit during peak times when most of the leaves become bright yellow.
The avenue’s autumn yellow foliage scenery goes viral on thousands of Twitter and Instagram accounts every year.
Besides it’s also famous for the Jingu Gaien Fireworks festival in August.
Hours:
24 hours
Admission:
Free
Surroundings:
The surrounding of Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue is pleasant and covered with trees. There are benches under the trees, covered with golden fallen ginkgo tree leaves.
There are famous restaurants and cafes on the avenue, such as Itochu Garden, Royal Garden Cafe, and Shake Shack. Itochu Garden is near Gaienmae train station.
Besides, the famous temple Zenkoji Tokyo Betsuin is very near. The entrance of the temple looks exactly the same as the Nakano Branch temple.
In addition, the most famous spots nearby of the avenue are Akasaka Imperial Residence, Japan National Stadium, Meiji Memorial Museum, and Japan Olympic Museum.
Access:
Nearest Stations:
Gaienmae Station: Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
4 minutes walk from the station
Aoyama Itchome Station: Odeo Line
Exit via 1
Walk 7 min (500m)
Shinanomachi Station: JR Sobu Line
10 minutes walk from the station
From Tokyo Station:
Take Marunouchi Line(M17) to Akasaka-Mitsuke Station(M13) and change to Ginza Line from Akasaka-Mitsuke Station(G13) to Gaienmae Station(G03).
Exit via 4a
Walk 7 min (500m)
From Shinjuku Station:
Take Oedo Line(E27) to Aoyama-Itchome Station(E24)
Exit via 1
Walk 7 min (500m)