High in the sky, the giant ginkgo biloba sparkles in golden color and is a sight to behold.

Aomori City is approaching the autumn leaves season. When it comes to hidden spots for autumn leaves, the famous ''Miyata Ginkgo'' towering over the Miyata district in the eastern part of Aomori City is famous.

This large ginkgo tree, affectionately known as ''Miyata's Great Ginkgo,'' is estimated to be 800 years old. There is the first ginkgo (west plant) along the road, and the second ginkgo (east plant) that stands about 130m away from the road.According to the Ministry of the Environment's ''Giant Tree and Giant Forest Database'', the west ginkgo is about 23m tall and has a trunk circumference of 13m, while the east ginkgo is about 28m tall and has a trunk circumference of 12m. It is the largest existing tree in the city and has been designated as a natural monument of the city.

There is no record of when or by whom it was planted, but Masumi Sugae, a folklorist from the late Edo period, visited this area on April 20, 1796, about 230 years ago, and wrote in his travelogue ''Sumika no Yama'' that there were ''two ginkgo trees standing there,'' which shows that it was already making its presence felt at the time.

Ginkgo biloba has a longer lifespan than other trees, grows large, and is often worshiped as a sacred tree. This giant ginkgo has also been revered as a sacred tree since ancient times, and there is a legend that a mother who was having trouble producing breast milk prayed to the giant ginkgo, carved a tree, took it home, chopped it finely and offered it with rice to a shrine, removed the wood chips, and ate it, which resulted in her breast milk producing better.