Tour Guide

Park & Garden Guide

🌳 Hokkaido University Ginkgo Avenue

Seventy ginkgo trees forming a golden cathedral of light — Sapporo's most photographed autumn moment

Golden ginkgo trees lining the main avenue of Hokkaido University campus in autumn
Photo: ノボホショコロトソ · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Overview

Icho Namiki — "Ginkgo Avenue" — is a 380-metre-long row of approximately 70 ginkgo trees (Ginkgo biloba) planted along the main north–south road through Hokkaido University's central campus in Sapporo. Every November, the trees turn simultaneously from summer green to a blazing, almost luminous yellow-gold, forming a tunnel of colour that is one of Hokkaido's most photographed autumn scenes.

The university itself was founded in 1876 as the Sapporo Agricultural College, established by the Meiji government to develop Hokkaido as Japan's agricultural frontier. American botanist William S. Clark served as its first director, bringing North American scientific methods and a liberal-arts philosophy that shaped the college's character well beyond his brief eight-month tenure. Clark's famous parting words — "Boys, be ambitious!" — became an enduring part of Japanese educational culture and are displayed throughout the campus.

The campus spans 177 hectares — a green oasis that occupies a significant fraction of downtown Sapporo's area — and includes old farm buildings, a botanical garden (one of Japan's oldest, established 1886), and the Hokkaido University Museum with free exhibits on the institution's research history. Walking the campus in November connects the ginkgo spectacle with the frontier-era agricultural buildings and the museum's materials on Hokkaido's Meiji colonization, Ainu culture, and scientific history.

A guided campus walk integrates naturally with a visit to the Sapporo Clock Tower — also a product of the Agricultural College era — and Odori Park just to the south, making Icho Namiki the northern anchor of an extended Meiji-history walking route through central Sapporo.

When to Visit

Campus: Open 24 hours, free access year-round. Botanical Garden: Open April 29 – November 3, 9 AM – 4:30 PM (Tuesday–Sunday); entry ¥420 adults. Hokkaido University Museum: Tuesday–Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM, free. Ginkgo peak colour: Typically mid-November (exact dates vary 5–10 days each year by weather). Leaf carpet: Spectacular ground-level photographs possible for one to two weeks after peak colour during the fall.

Admission and Costs

Campus access: Free at all times. Hokkaido University Museum: Free. Botanical Garden: ¥420 adults, ¥280 students, ¥140 children. A guided campus tour through the university's official programme costs approximately ¥1,000–2,000 per person; private guide fees vary.

The Case for a Guide

The campus is navigable without a guide, but the depth of its Meiji-era history and scientific heritage is almost entirely invisible to visitors walking without context.

  • Clark's legacy in detail: The eight months Clark spent in Sapporo in 1876–77 shaped Japanese educational philosophy in ways that extend far beyond Hokkaido — a guide who has researched this history can explain which American agricultural practices Clark introduced (crop rotation, dairy science, veterinary medicine), how his Christian beliefs shaped the college culture, and why his farewell speech became nationally famous
  • Ginkgo ecology: Ginkgo biloba is one of the oldest tree species in existence — a living fossil unchanged since the Jurassic period — and a guide explains why this ancient lineage produces such a dramatic simultaneous colour change, how the tree's chemical defences give the fruit its notorious smell, and why ginkgos were chosen to line the avenue
  • Ainu history: The campus occupies land that was Ainu territory before the Meiji colonization — a guide who addresses this history provides a counterpoint to the official "frontier development" narrative, contextualizing both the university's founding and the displacement it represented
  • Campus architecture: The mix of early Meiji-period farm buildings, post-war institutional buildings, and contemporary research facilities is a physical record of the university's evolution; a guide distinguishes what is original from what was rebuilt after the 1934 fire

Tips for Visitors

Photography timing: The avenue photographs best in the hour after sunrise (golden light through the canopy) and the hour before sunset (warm backlight on the leaves). At midday in peak season the avenue is crowded and the overhead light is flat. Visiting without the crowds: Come on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning — weekends in peak ginkgo season see thousands of visitors. Combine with the museum: The Hokkaido University Museum is free and takes about 45 minutes; its exhibits on Ainu culture and the university's founding provide essential context for the campus walk. Dress for autumn: November in Sapporo is cold — typically 5–10°C with wind — bring a warm layer. The botanical garden: If visiting in spring or summer instead of autumn, the botanical garden is a worthy substitute destination on the same campus, particularly its Ainu plant-use collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do the ginkgo trees turn yellow at Hokkaido University?

The ginkgo trees along Icho Namiki typically reach peak colour in the second or third week of November — earlier than most of Honshu's autumn foliage events because Hokkaido's climate is significantly colder. The transition is fast: within about ten days, the leaves shift from summer green to gold to an intense yellow-orange, then fall. Peak is usually brief — five to seven days of optimal colour before the leaves drop. The exact timing varies by year depending on when the first sustained cold nights arrive; local photography groups and Hokkaido University's own social media accounts track the progress and post daily updates in late October. A ground carpet of fallen yellow leaves persists for another week after peak, creating a different but equally photogenic effect.

Who was William S. Clark and why is he so important to Hokkaido University?

William Smith Clark (1826–1886) was an American botanist and agricultural scientist who served as the founding director of the Sapporo Agricultural College from 1876 to 1877 — the institution that later became Hokkaido University. Clark was recruited by the Meiji government as part of its massive programme of hiring foreign experts (oyatoi gaikokujin) to modernize Japan's agricultural and industrial base. He spent only eight months in Sapporo but transformed the college's curriculum, introducing American-style practical agricultural science alongside the liberal arts education he had developed at Massachusetts Agricultural College. His departure speech — "Boys, be ambitious!" — became one of the most quoted phrases in Japanese educational history. A statue of Clark in a heroic pose gesturing toward the horizon stands on a hilltop at Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill south of Sapporo and is one of Hokkaido's iconic images.

Is Hokkaido University campus open to the public?

Yes, the Hokkaido University campus is freely open to the public throughout the year and welcomes visitors to walk its paths, visit its botanical garden, and explore its historical farm buildings. The campus covers 177 hectares in the heart of Sapporo — a remarkably large green space just 10 minutes on foot from Sapporo Station. The Hokkaido University Museum (free entry) in the main central building houses exhibits on the university's history and scientific research. The university's frontier-era farm buildings, including the old barn and dairy, survive in the northern campus near Icho Namiki and give a tangible sense of the agricultural college's original character. The campus is busy with students year-round but sees particularly high visitor numbers during golden week in May and the ginkgo season in November.