[2024] 13 autumn foliage viewing spots in Tokyo. Information on illuminations, famous spots, and hidden gems

[Minato Ward] Meiji Shrine Gaien | A row of ginkgo trees shining golden like a painting

The ginkgo tree-lined street in Meiji Shrine Gaien, which is often used as a location for TV dramas, is a classic spot in Tokyo for viewing autumn leaves. For about 300m from the Aoyama-dori entrance to the Gaien Central Plaza circular road, the ginkgo trees on both sides shine golden.

The ginkgo tree-lined street seen from Aoyama-dori is picturesque in beauty.

It's a popular spot that is usually crowded with many people, so if you want to take your time strolling around and take photos, we recommend visiting on a weekday or early in the morning when there are fewer people around.

Meiji Shrine Gaien

[Minato Ward] Shiba Park | You can take photos of Tokyo Tower and the autumn leaves

Shiba Park, which spreads out below Tokyo Tower, is also a great spot for casually viewing autumn leaves in the city center. The highlight is the artificial valley called "Momiji Valley" located between Tokyo Tower and Zojoji Temple. The place where Tokyo Tower stands used to be called Momijiyama, so it got its name.

The scenery of the sloping terrain, rocks made of natural stones, forests, and streams is truly that of a deep, secluded valley. During the autumn foliage season, about 200 trees of nine species, including Japanese maples, take on vivid colors, captivating visitors.

If you want to take photos, we recommend the promenade on Site No. 4. It is a very popular photo spot, with the ginkgo trees on both sides of the promenade framing Tokyo Tower.

Shiba Park

[Shinjuku Ward/Shibuya Ward] Shinjuku Gyoen | Enjoy autumn leaves while strolling through an oasis in the city

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, which covers an area of approximately 583,000 square meters and boasts a circumference of 3.5 km, is a well-known oasis in the city center. It is a famous spot for viewing autumn leaves within Tokyo, and is easily accessible by train.

Shinjuku Gyoen, created as a garden for the Imperial Family, is a combination of various gardens, including formal gardens, Japanese gardens, and landscape gardens, and in the fall, the ginkgo, maple, and cherry trees in the garden take on vibrant colors.

The formal garden has a rose garden at the center of the 200m-long plane tree-lined avenue. The best time to see the roses is from mid-October to mid-November, so you can enjoy both the autumn leaves and the roses during this time.

There are many other attractions, such as the maples in the Japanese garden, the ginkgo trees in the landscape garden, the bald cypresses in the Mother and Child Forest, and Momiji Mountain. It might be a good idea to visit the vast garden with a group or family and have a picnic.

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

[Bunkyo Ward] Rikugien Garden | Autumn foliage illumination at the daimyo garden with 300 years of history

Rikugien Garden has been counted as one of the two great gardens of Edo along with Koishikawa Korakuen Garden since it was first built. This is a daimyo garden with a stroll-style artificial hill and a pond, where you can enjoy the autumn foliage of about 560 trees, including about 400 Japanese maples, Japanese enkianthus, and ginkgo trees.

Every year during the autumn foliage season, Rikugien Garden holds the "Rikugien Garden Nighttime Special Viewing of Autumn Leaves." The garden is lit up with autumn leaves and projections are shown on the storehouse walls, allowing you to enjoy a fantastical Rikugien Garden that is different from the daytime. There are also photogenic spots set up throughout the garden, so why not take a commemorative photo?

Rikugien Garden

[Shibuya Ward] Yoyogi Park | Enjoy a variety of autumn leaves for a long time

Speaking of autumn foliage spots in the city center, Yoyogi Park is also a must-see. With a total area of about 540,000 square meters, there are 900 zelkova trees, 200 ginkgo trees, 200 maples, and many other types of trees that can be enjoyed in autumn. There is no admission fee, so you can easily drop in.

The autumn leaves in Yoyogi Park change from zelkova trees to ginkgo trees and maples, so you can enjoy the autumn leaves for over a month. There are benches in the park where you can sit down and enjoy the autumn leaves at your leisure, so it's a good idea to spend the whole day strolling around the park and feeling the autumn.

Entering through the Harajuku Gate, you must see the row of ginkgo trees that spreads out in front of you on the right. The beautiful carpet of fallen leaves is a spectacular sight that can only be seen in this season.

Yoyogi park

[Chuo Ward] Hama-rikyu Gardens | The graceful autumn scenery beloved by the Tokugawa Shogun family

If you're looking for a tasteful autumn view, we recommend Hama-rikyu Gardens. It is the only garden in Tokyo that has been around since the Edo period and is characterized by the fact that it is the only one that draws seawater into it. The garden is associated with the Tokugawa Shogunate and served as a branch castle of Edo Castle at the time.

You can enjoy the yellow and red leaves of about 260 trees, including trident maples, Japanese wax trees, cherry trees, and maples, in various places in the park, but the combination of the four teahouses, which are faithful reproductions of buildings built in the Edo period, and the autumn leaves is particularly beautiful, evoking the beauty of the past. At Nakajima Tea House, you can enjoy a matcha and Japanese sweets set (fee required) while admiring the autumn leaves.

You will feel as if you have traveled back in time to the Edo period.

Hama-rikyu Gardens

[Chiyoda Ward] The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace | You can see the moat, stone walls, and autumn leaves all at once

The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are a popular spot that is crowded with people every year during the cherry blossom season in spring and the autumn foliage season.

The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace were developed as an attached garden of the Imperial Palace in conjunction with the construction of the palace, on the former Honmaru, Ninomaru, and Sannomaru areas of Edo Castle. Many vestiges of Edo Castle remain, such as the castle tower, the remains of Ooku, and the Otemon Gate. The autumn foliage you must see in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace is the fusion of the moat, stone walls, and autumn leaves.

Another highlight is the Ninomaru Grove, which mimics the natural environment of Musashino. Oaks, sawtooth oaks, and maples turn yellow and red, delighting the viewer.

East Gardens of the Imperial Palace

[Chiyoda Ward] Hibiya Park | An urban oasis bathed in autumn colors

In Hibiya Park, autumn leaves can be seen in various places in the park. Born as Japan's first Western-style park that incorporates Western culture and Japanese elements, it is a historic park that continues to be loved by many people even now, more than 120 years after its opening.

Various flowers bloom in the flower beds throughout the year, providing a soothing experience to people working in the business district. In autumn, the ginkgo and maple leaves turn red.

During the autumn foliage season, the trees around Hibiya Park's symbolic Crane Fountain and Cloud Pond change color. Enjoy the reflection of the autumn leaves on the water's surface.

Hibiya Park

[Kita Ward] Kita Ward Asukayama Park | A hidden gem of a spot for viewing autumn leaves, perfect for families

Viewing autumn leaves in Tokyo is bound to be crowded, but if you travel a little further from the city center, you can enjoy viewing the leaves while relatively avoiding the crowds.

Asukayama Park in Kita Ward was designated as Japan's first park in 1873. It has a long history, and is said to have originated when Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth shogun of the Edo shogunate, planted wild cherry trees there for the enjoyment of Tokyoite.

Asukayama Park is famous as a cherry blossom viewing spot in the spring, but in mid-November every year, the Japanese maples and trident maples begin to take on vibrant colors, gradually changing into autumn colors. Illuminations are also held, so you can enjoy the different atmospheres during the day and at night.

The park also has a well-equipped children's area, making it a hidden gem of a spot for families with children to enjoy viewing the autumn leaves without worry.

Kita Ward Asukayama Park

[Musashino City/Mitaka City] Inokashira Park | Stroll through one of the best autumn foliage spots in the suburbs

Inokashira Park is a popular spot on the outskirts of Tokyo. Although it is known for its cherry blossoms, the autumn foliage is no less impressive.

There are about 3,200 deciduous trees in the park, including about 90 different species, including about 600 maples, 450 carpinus and red carpinus, and 280 zelkova. This is also a rare spot in Tokyo where you can see the autumn leaves of katsura trees, which fill the air with a sweet fragrance as they turn yellow.

We recommend the area around the pond, which is the park's symbol. Take a leisurely stroll along the walking path and enjoy the autumn air.

Inokashira Park

[Tachikawa City/Akishima City] Showa Kinen National Park | Full of highlights, from yellow and red leaves to illuminations

At the Showa Kinen National Park, you can enjoy different shades of yellow and red leaves. The park is about the size of 39 Tokyo Domes, and there are many spots where you can see the yellow leaves of ginkgo trees and the red leaves of maples.

The main attractions are the two ginkgo tree-lined streets in the park: the Katarai Ginkgo Tree Line, with 98 ginkgo trees, and the Canal Line at the Tachikawa entrance, with 106 trees. The golden ginkgo trees are simply breathtaking, creating a picturesque landscape.

Don't miss the Japanese Garden, where about 300 maple trees turn red in autumn. Compared to the large-scale rows of ginkgo trees, you can enjoy the delicate and gorgeous autumn scenery here.

The "Yellow and Red Leaves Festival 2024" is scheduled to be held from October 31st to December 1st, 2024. During this period, the light-up event "Autumn Night Walk 2024" will also be held. Many sights such as the "Japanese Garden" and "Katarai Ginkgo Tree Avenue" will be lit up, so don't miss this either.

Showa Memorial Park

[Hachioji City] Mount Takao | Discover the spectacular patchwork mountain scenery

Mount Takao is crowded with many climbers all year round, but it is most popular during the autumn foliage season. Although it is easily accessible, about an hour by train from the city center, you can experience a richness of nature that makes it hard to believe you are in the city.

The leaves change color gradually over the course of about a month along the cable car line, at Takao-san Yakuoin Temple, the summit, Momijidai, and other locations, so you can enjoy autumn foliage for a long period of time. At the peak of the season, red and yellow tunnels appear along the cable car line, delighting hikers. There are several hiking trails on Mount Takao, but the recommended one is Trail 1. There are many autumn leaves, and most of the trails are paved, making it an easy course to walk on.

It gets crowded on weekends, so if you want to avoid the crowds, try visiting on a weekday or early in the morning.

Mt. Takao

[Koganei City] Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum | Don't miss the special illuminations that are only available for two days

The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum is home to 30 restored buildings from the Edo period to the mid-Showa period. In autumn, the trees in the museum decorate the buildings, giving you the feeling that you are viewing the autumn leaves in Tokyo at that time.

On November 23rd and 24th, 2024, there will be a special nighttime opening with illuminated autumn leaves and buildings. The historical buildings and colorful trees will be lit up with a soft light. Why not enjoy the atmosphere of the park, which is completely different from the daytime?

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

There are so many attractive spots to see autumn leaves even within Tokyo alone. It's fun to visit many different places, but another fun thing to do is enjoy the change in scenery between day and night. Check out the spots that interest you as the autumn leaves season approaches.

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