Autumn leaf color: Almost red in color as of Friday , November 22, 2024

Designated by Fukuoka Prefecture as a Natural Treasure in May of 1964, this row of 260 wax trees extends about 1.2 km, from north to south. Cultivated all over the country since the early 18th century, the nuts of this tree are a specialty of western Japan. In Kio Village, Takeno County (present-day Tanushimaru Town), headman Takebei Takeshita cultivated the first wax trees in 1730. After discovering a famous variety called “Matsuyama-Haze”, sometime during the Horeki Period (1751-1763), wax trees spread to other parts of Japan. There is evidence to suggest that wax trees in the former Kokubun Village of Mii County were planted in 1742. Later on, a farmer in Ogori named Uchiyama Ikichi produced a superior variety called “Ichiki-Haze”, which elevated the fame of wax trees in the Chikugo region. This lane has also been chosen as one of the Top 100 Tree-Lined Streets of Japan.