A gingko tree over 1,000 years old stands in the Kitakanegasawa district slightly inland from the coast in the northern part of Fukaura Town. With a height of approximately 31 meters and a trunk circumference of about 22 meters, it is the largest gingko tree in Japan. While its lush leaves are also beautiful in the season of new greenery, the fall foliage season, when its leaves turn golden, is absolutely not to be missed. The best time to view the leaves is in mid- to late November, when the tree, nicknamed “Big Yellow,” is also lit up at night, presenting a different sort of beauty from the daytime. The enormous gingko floodlit amid the darkness makes for an incredible sight.

The gingko has been revered as a sacred tree since ancient times, and it is said that touching the aerial roots that hang like breasts from the trunk will improve breastmilk production. For this reason, it is also known as the “Mothers’ Gingko Tree.” As a custom, women allegedly visited from as far away as Hokkaido and Akita carrying their babies to make prayers and offer rice and sacred sake to the aerial roots.

◆Nationally Designated Natural Monument