GaijinPot

Autumn is a great time of year in Japan. The weather has turned away from the muggy hot summer and the leaves on the trees are turning yellow and reddish colors, then falling to the ground below. Winter might be just around the corner, but walking the streets of Tokyo in Autumn, you hardly even think of being cold. There are many great walks in central Tokyo to see the Autumn colors of nature. One of the top spots featured on the news each year is the walk up to Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery in Meiji Jingu Gaien. The road leading from Aoyama towards the Gallery is lined with Ginkgo trees and turns a wonderfully bright yellow color at this time of year. The road is 300 meters in length and the height of the trees gradually changes along the road to give the Gallery building at the Gaien end extra emphasis. In Japanese the road is called, Icho Namiki Dori, or Ginkgo Tree Avenue. I remember hearing somewhere that this road was actually the first asphalt road in Japan when made in 1926, at the same time as the Picture Gallery. Have you visited this area of town before? Did you see the Ginkgo trees in full color? Maybe you stopped in at one of the well known restaurants in this area, Selan, Speira or Royal Garden Cafe? Let us know your memories of this area of Aoyama in Autumn.