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Have you ever snapped a photo of yourself holding ginkgo biloba leaves at a popular spot in Japan?
The yellowish-orange leaves have an inexplicable attraction, which is further enhanced by the sunlight. Perhaps it is because the color change of the ginkgo leaves is not towards the usual coffee color, just as the maple leaves turn from green to red, which is amazingly beautiful in nature. In the season of cold winds and colorlessness, such warm tones bring some positive and warm power to the autumn seasons. The colors of life follow the seasons, and the colors of autumn in Japan are maple red and ginkgo yellow; you have to go up to the mountains to see the beauty of maple red, while ginkgo can be seen in the general living area. In the cool autumn, the yellow-orange ginkgo leaves are like a warm carpet that protects the earth and tells people to get ready for winter!
📝 Ginkgo trees: origin and bean knowledge
The ginkgo tree, which can be seen in the streets and parks of Japan, is a species of tree that dates back to the Permian Period, 270 million years ago. However, because of its slow evolution, it has become the only ancient gymnosperm left in the Permian Period, and is therefore recognized as a “living fossil”. The growth of ginkgo requires a warmer climate. At that time, due to the earth's climatic variations, the species of ginkgo in North America, Europe, and Asia gradually became extinct, and the growing place gradually advanced to southern China, and then the climate stabilized, and only after the introduction of seeds did it begin to spread in other places, and the ginkgo tree in Japan was brought to Japan through the Korean Peninsula. In addition, because of the slow growth of the ginkgo tree, a grandfather planted the tree when he was a child, and when his grandchildren were born, the grandparents and grandchildren could enjoy the ginkgo tree together and share the ginkgo berries, so the ginkgo tree is also known as the “grandchildren tree”.
The flower language of ginkgo is “longevity”, “solemnity” and “soul-suppressing”, taking it as a tree that has existed since ancient times, and there are even ginkgo trees as old as 1,000 years; in addition, it is said that after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, in the many burned streetscapes, the first plant found to have returned to its vibrant business, and was not deformed because of the bombing, was the ginkgo tree, so there is an extension of the meaning of peace and hope. Therefore, it also has the meaning of extending peace and hope.
🤗 Two or three things to know before eating ginkgo
The ginkgo tree is a non-fruit-bearing gymnosperm, so what is commonly called “ginkgo nuts” (also known as “white nuts”) are not fruits, but seeds. Although the outer part of the seed coat smells rotten, the seeds in the center have food value and are an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine such as chawanmushi and tsukudani.
It is widely rumored that eating ginkgo helps enhance memory, so a food company made “ginkgo biloba extract” into chewing gum, claiming that it can increase the memory of images and words after consumption, and it became a hot commodity as soon as it was launched, and caused a shortage in the market for a while. However, it should be clear that ginkgo biloba extract contains “ginkgolides” and “flavonoid glycosides” that can make platelets in the blood vessels less likely to clot, so that the blood flow is smoother, which means that ginkgo biloba extract can increase the blood flow to the brain, just like promoting peripheral circulation of blood vessels, but there is no obvious medical evidence that can show that the intake of ginkgo biloba extract is the same as the ability to increase the ability to memorize.
At the same time, on the consumption of ginkgo nuts, there are also must pay attention to the notes, for example: ginkgo nuts itself has a slight poison, after peeling off the shell, the remaining part of the white fruit, you need to go through again and again after the Chuan hot in order to remove the toxicity of the dishes to eat. Ginkgo biloba fruit edible effects, cough and phlegm, clean blood vessels to remove dirt, but also help to reduce the number of urination, so it is said that the ancient scholars who went to Beijing to catch the examination, in order to avoid running to the toilet during the examination time and waste of time, into the examination room before the ginkgo biloba fruit; for this reason, modern will also consume ginkgo biloba fruit, as an elderly to solve the problem of urination of the food ingredients. However, ginkgo biloba itself has viscous, stagnant, bloating and other characteristics, not easy to digest, adults can not be expected to a maximum of more than ten a day, the children are only about four to five then stop, can not be a moment of desire, even ate a number of ginkgo biloba.
Ginkgo biloba extract, categorized as medicine; ginkgo biloba fruit for food, both have to promote blood circulation, dilate blood vessels to clear the effects of dirt, but why ancient times only eat ginkgo fruit but not eat ginkgo biloba? The reason is that in ancient times there is no ability to extract, until modern Germany began to take ginkgo biloba extract of medical behavior. However, for the general public, instead of caring about the edible and medicinal properties of ginkgo, it is better to enjoy the beauty of ginkgo biloba leaves for the limited season.
📎 Tokyo's top choice! Popular spots for ginkgo viewing
If you want to see ginkgoes while sightseeing in the Kanto region, the first place to go is the Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Boulevard in Tokyo, which is about 300 meters long. It is easily accessible by public transportation such as the JR Chuo/Sobu lines, subway Ginza line, Hanzomon line and Toei Oedo line. The towering cones of the trees, which are manually trimmed every four years, contrast beautifully with the rectangular shape of the building. The colors of the townscape, which change with the time of the year, attract visitors by sprouting buds in spring, green leaves in summer, yellow leaves in autumn, and bare wood in winter.
Another recommended spot for ginkgo viewing is the Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa City, a suburb of Tokyo, which extends the tour route a bit. If you have enough time to travel, Showa Memorial Park is a place where you can spend a day with your family and enjoy the scenery. In the park, there are about 106 ginkgo trees planted along both sides of the fountain waterway for 200 meters, and on the other side of the park, the ginkgo tree path (katarai no ginkgo no jiki) is a path where ginkgo tree branches intertwine with each other as if they were exchanging emotions with each other. When the wind blows, the ginkgo leaves fall down in a flurry of golden color, and you can enjoy the ginkgo snow, step on the ginkgo carpet, and fall into a world of golden color, which is really breathtaking. During the limited season for ginkgo viewing, you can also enjoy ginkgo and maple blossoms at night by lighting up in the evening. Please refer to the official website for information on nighttime opening hours.
National Showa Memorial Park
Address: 3173 Midori-cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo
Autumn is a season of thanksgiving for a good harvest, but it also carries with it the melancholy of parting after maturity. In the man-made world, this is true, but in nature, it is also a time when plants and animals prepare for winter; squirrels are busy hiding acorns, migratory birds fly south in flocks to spend the winter, the maple leaves gradually turn from green to red, and the ginkgo leaves turn from green to yellow, and eventually fall to form a natural carpet.
The season of yellow ginkgo leaves in Japan starts from mid-October to the end of November, so if you have a chance, you should feel the charm of the golden carpet of ginkgo leaves.
- Author:japan guides
- URL:https://japan-guides.com/article/culture-84
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