Cedar Avenue of Nikkō

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The Cedar Avenue of Nikkō (日光杉並木, Nikkō suginami-ki^?) a street lined with approximately 13,000 cryptomeria trees. The Cedar Avenue of Nikkō is approximately 37 kilometers long and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest tree-lined avenue in the world. The Cedar Avenue of Nikkō is the only cultural property designated by the Japanese Government as both a Special Historic Site and a Special Natural Monument.

The cedar trees were planted approximately 400 years ago by Matsudaira Masatsuna, a feudal lord serving Tokugawa Ieyasu, who donated them to the Nikkō Tōshō-gū. This monumental project was begun around 1625 and required about 20 years to be completed. It is estimated that some 200,000 cedars were planted at this time.