Tsutsuga O-icho Gingko Tree

I sometimes wonder in how many countries other than Japan will people drive for a couple of hours or more to see a single tree.

Perhaps Japan’s most famous tree is Jomon-sugi on Yakushima Island, one to which people hike for hours to see and which is thought to be somewhere between 2000 and 7000 years old. At 1100 year old Tsuruga’s “Big Gingko” tree is a just youngster, but, at 48m in height and with a cirumference of 8m, it is an impressive specimen. Standing in the grounds of a picturesque shrine, every autumn (usually in mid November) the tree’s foliage turns bright yellow and, as they fall, the leaves cover the ground like a golden carpet.

It’s a great place to check out when visiting beautiful Sandan-kyo Gorge in autumn or Yoshimizu-en Garden.

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And when the leaves have fallen

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Many more great autumn leaf viewing spots in our guide.