Breathtaking beauty of the autumn foliage along Meiji Jingu Gaien’s iconic, 300-meter-long Ginkgo Avenue. It highlights how nearly 150 towering ginkgo trees transform the bustling city center into a magnificent golden tunnel, creating a spectacular amber carpet that defines a classic Tokyo autumn.
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The Meiji Jingu Gaien Park outside the Aoyama Itchome Station on Ginza Line. Cutting right through the spacious park grounds is Tokyo's famous Ginkgo Avenue, a spectacular 300-meter-long boulevard running gracefully between Aoyama-dori and the historic Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery. While Japan is widely celebrated for the deep oranges and reds of its autumn maples, this particular avenue is universally loved for offering a completely different aesthetic, a massive, vibrant sea of bright yellow light right in the commercial heart of the city.
From mid-November to early December each year, nearly 150 meticulously trimmed ginkgo trees reach their absolute peak, transforming the avenue into a breathtaking natural cathedral.
Access is just outside the Aoyama Itchome Station on Ginza Line, just a minute walk from the exit point. Follow the sign Meiji Jingu Gaien and you will be able to reach the street where the autumn foliage attracts quite some crowds on weekends. The tall, towering trees gracefully arch over both sides of the street, creating a dazzling golden tunnel overhead. On clear, sunny days, the striking contrast between the deep blue sky and the brilliant yellow foliage offers endless opportunities for capturing the perfect shot, making it a dream destination for photographers and strollers alike.
The trees are peculiar in their structure more pointed in form on either sides of the streets and the weekends of late November are mostly crowded with the Ichyou Matsuri (Ginkgo Biloba Festival) and you can see cars lining up on either sides of the street as the day progresses, where people get down to take a quick snap and zip away. Parking in the street has become more difficult with red markers discouraging drivers from stopping there.
Some trees on the sunny weekend were in full colors and contrasted with the blue sky were truly a sight to watch. Had bought a Starbucks Coffee outside the station, so sipping it as me and my family made our way through the colors will remain in memory. A good weekend.
Thanks to the drivers not allowed to park, very less vehicles this year, mostly had to use the P60 parking on adjacent streets, we did so too. A lone cyclist goes past with the autumn colors in the background. I like this idea of actually biking in these streets. I should stop coming in a car and do this thing more.
It is always so nice to contrast the views of a location on a timeline and I was simply blown away with how Meiji Jingu Gaien looked in 1927 and then in 1988. Photographs really preserve memories and a record of how we evolve. Snaps taken today will be very different when you see the same location in a couple of decades. The snaps we take today, we have no idea how they will be perceived in the generations that follow. The fact that there are too many people taking too many snaps these days is a different issue too though.
The morning skies were near perfect for photography and this autumn colors sandwiched between two green trees was the last memory as I got into our car with a Subway sandwich for my Saturday breakfast. A two hour morning well spent. See below for the location and access.
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