🌳 Why Does Tokyo Turn Yellow Every Autumn? The Ginkgo Tree Explained

Tokyo autumn has a strange way of getting your attention twice.

First, you see it.

A street you pass every week suddenly looks completely different. Trees that blended into the background all summer turn bright gold, and the pavement fills with small yellow leaves.

Then, occasionally, you smell it.

And the reaction is a little less poetic.

“...What is that?”

The answer to both is the same tree:

ginkgo — イチョウ (ichō).

At first, it looks like another beautiful autumn tree.

But the closer you look, the stranger it gets.

This tree has survived for an absurdly long time, handles Tokyo's harsh roadside environment unusually well, sometimes makes the pavement smell terrible — and somehow ends up in Japanese food.

So the more interesting question is not simply:

“Why do the leaves turn yellow?”

It is:

How did this very strange tree become so “Tokyo”?

🌳 Tokyo's Golden Tree Is Built to Survive 

There is a reason you keep seeing ginkgo around the city.

Tokyo has roughly 59,000 ginkgo roadside trees.

That is not because city planners simply thought November would look prettier.

Ginkgo is remarkably good at the unpleasant job of living beside a city road.

Tokyo's own information notes that the tree tolerates air pollution well, has relatively few problems with pests and disease, handles cold weather, and is well suited to roadside planting.

In other words:

Ginkgo is tough.

And apparently, it has had plenty of practice.

Tokyo's Green Biz information describes ginkgo as coming from a plant lineage that has survived for around 100 million years, which is why it is sometimes called a “living fossil.”

There is something slightly funny about that.

A plant lineage that survived for an almost unimaginable amount of time eventually found itself surrounded by office buildings, convenience stores, buses, bicycles, and six-lane roads...

and carried on just fine.

So when Tokyo turns yellow in autumn, what looks purely decorative is also the result of a tree that happens to be extremely good at surviving city life.

👃 The Beautiful Tree Smells... and Then Ends Up in Dinner

Now for the less glamorous side of Tokyo autumn.

Ginkgo trees can be male or female.

Female trees produce seeds surrounded by a fleshy outer layer. When these fall onto the ground, they can develop a very strong and distinctive smell.

Tokyo's own tree guidance notes that male trees are preferable for roadside planting because they do not produce the seeds with the foul-smelling outer layer found on female trees. 

Which means Tokyo autumn can go from:

“Wow, this street is beautiful.”

to:

“What did I just step on?”

surprisingly quickly.

But this is where the story takes an unexpected turn. 

Inside is:

銀杏 — ginnan

the edible ginkgo seed.

Once the unpleasant outer layer is removed and the seed is properly prepared, it becomes a seasonal autumn ingredient.

You may already have eaten it without realizing where it came from.

A common place to find ginnan is 茶碗蒸し (chawanmushi) — savory steamed egg custard. 

It can also appear in 炊き込みご飯 (takikomi gohan), grilled dishes, fried dishes, and other seasonal foods.

So every autumn, ginkgo creates a slightly ridiculous sequence:

See the tree.
Smell the tree.
Possibly eat part of the tree at dinner.

That is a much stranger relationship than simply “yellow leaves are pretty.”

One important note: ginnan needs proper preparation before eating, so the ones lying around on the pavement are not free Tokyo snacks.

🗼 Once You Notice Ginkgo, Tokyo Starts Looking Different

Now look at the leaf itself.

Ginkgo leaves have a distinctive fan shape.

Once you learn it, you start spotting them surprisingly often — along roads, around parks, outside stations, and in long rows stretching down entire avenues.

And the connection with Tokyo goes deeper than sheer numbers.

Ginkgo is officially designated as Tokyo's metropolitan tree.

Even Tokyo's metropolitan symbol is made from three curved shapes that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government describes as resembling a ginkgo leaf, while also forming the letter T.

So ginkgo is not merely common here.

Its shape has become part of how Tokyo represents itself.

And if you want to see the exaggerated, almost cinematic version, one of the best-known examples is:

🌳 Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue

A long avenue of ginkgo trees creates one of Tokyo's most recognizable autumn views, with the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery in the background.

The usual best viewing period is around mid-November to early December, although the exact timing changes each year.

But you do not really need to visit a famous sightseeing spot to notice ginkgo.

On your normal commute, look at the trees outside your station and the leaves on the pavement. Once you know the fan shape, you will probably start spotting it everywhere.

Once you recognize ginkgo, Tokyo starts pointing it out for you.

🌟 A Very Strange Tree That Became Very Tokyo

From a distance, ginkgo looks simple.

A green tree turns yellow.

Nice photo.

End of story.

But once you know what you are looking at, it becomes one of those small details that make Tokyo easier to read. 

So the next time November turns your usual street gold, you may see something slightly different.

Not just another autumn tree.

A very strange tree that somehow became very Tokyo.

And if that beautiful street suddenly smells suspicious...

now you know why. 👃🌳

💬 Have you noticed ginkgo trees — or ginnan — around your neighborhood in Japan?

📌 Sources

Tokyo Metropolitan Government — Tokyo's Symbols
Tokyo's metropolitan tree and the ginkgo-inspired metropolitan symbol.

Tokyo Green Biz Map — Ginkgo (イチョウ)
Ginkgo characteristics, male and female trees, ginnan, pollution resistance, and ancient history.

GO TOKYO — Autumn Leaves in Tokyo / Meiji Jingu Gaien
Information about the famous ginkgo avenue and its autumn viewing period.

Kikkoman — Ginkgo Nuts / Ginnan
Information about ginnan as a Japanese autumn ingredient and how it is commonly used.

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Kevin | USA

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