People imagine a huge metropolis full of skyscrapers when they think of Tokyo, but it actually has many places for enjoying beautiful fall foliage. This article introduces fifteen of these spots that were highly recommended by many!
1. Hibiya Park (Chiyoda Ward)
As of 2018, this historic park has been open for 115 years! It is an oasis for people working in nearby business districts, with numerous cultural facilities - including an open-air music hall - and a variety of beautiful plants. In the fall, you can enjoy the magnificent yellow from gingko trees lining the park’s paths, as well as beautifully colored foliage from Japanese maple and zelkova trees.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
2. Otaguro Park (Suginami Ward)
Otaguro Park is situated on a plot of land that once housed the residence of Moto Otaguro, a famous music critic that introduced Debussy to Japan. A Western-style building that used to be Otaguro's office has been made into a museum containing a variety of exhibits, as well as an elegant tearoom. The park is also known for its beautiful Japanese garden, which has more than 60 Japanese maple trees, as well as a path lined with over-100-year-old gingko trees that delight visitors with their gorgeous fall colors. During the height of the season, the foliage is normally lit up in the evening.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
3. Toshima Municipal Mejiro Garden (Toshima Ward)
Despite being in a modern metropolis, this garden exudes a sense of old and traditional Japan. It is designed so that one can enjoy a seasonal view of the trees and plants while strolling around a pond. The park is lit up in the evening during the fall, creating a magical scene of scarlet and golden leaves reflecting off a pond. In Sekicho-an, a building right beside the garden’s pond, you can enjoy weekend events like concerts.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
4. Meijijingu Gaien (Shinjuku Ward)
Meijijingu Gaien is a park attached to Meiji Jingu, which is a famous shrine that’s surrounded by greenery despite being in the center of a metropolis. Its symbol is a 300m long gingko tree-lined path, which is one of the most famous fall foliage spots in Tokyo. Made up of a variety of events and about 40 food stalls, the Jingu Gaien Gingko Fesitval is held for 17 days at the height of fall. In recent years, approximately 1.8 million people were seen visiting this area during the festival period!
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between mid-November and early December
5. Hama Rikyu Gardens (Chuo Ward)
This garden has a close connection with the Tokugawa clan, who ruled Japan during the Edo period (1603 - 1867). It is designated as a special place of scenic beauty by the national government, as well as a special historic site. The leaves of the various types of maple trees in this garden turn a beautiful color in the fall, contrasting wonderfully with the modern buildings of Tokyo.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between mid-November and early December
Entrance fee: 300 JPY/general, 150 JPY/age 65 and older, Free/children who are elementary school age and younger, along with junior high school aged students who are living or who attend school in Tokyo
6. Rikugien (Bunkyo Ward)
This garden has been designated as a special place of scenic beauty by the national government. It is designed in an Edo (former name for Tokyo) style, containing ponds, hills, and beautiful greenery that you can observe throughout the seasons. In the fall, the approximately 560 trees in the garden, including gingko and Japanese maple trees, color beautifully. They are wonderfully lit up in the evening.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
Entrance fee: 300 JPY/general, 150 JPY/age 65 and older, Free/children who are of elementary school age or younger, as well as junior high school students who are living or have attend school in Tokyo
7. Yoyogi Park (Shibuya Ward)
This is a large park in central Tokyo that consists of Area A - a forest park - and Area B, which is home to several facilities, such as a track and field stadium and open-air concert hall. Scattered around the park are roughly six types of broadleaf trees, including 1,000 Japanese zelkova, 200 gingko, and 100 Japanese maple trees. All of them change colors during the fall. You’ll also find fixtures like fountains that contrast beautifully with the golden and scarlet foliage.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
8. Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum (Minato Ward)
Built in 1933, this art museum is housed in an art deco-style mansion that’s designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.At the museum, you can enjoy a variety of artworks, together with the splendid interior decor. It is also known for its garden, which is filled with so much greenery that you won’t believe you’re in the middle of a city! In the fall, this garden is colored beautifully by fall foliage from trees like Japanese maples.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
Museum entrance fee: Depends on the exhibit
Garden entrance fee: 200 JPY/general, 160 JPY/university and college students, 100 JPY/junior high and high school students, as well as people aged 65 and over, Free/children who are elementary school age or younger, as well as junior high school students who are living or have attend school in Tokyo
9. Shiba Park (Minato Ward)
This is known as one of Japan’s oldest parks. When fall arrives, the leaves of its trees - such as gingko - turn stunning colors, creating fantastic scenery with the nearby Tokyo Tower. The park grounds are approximately 13,500 sq.m., which is enough space to enjoy a relaxing stroll in nature whilst still being in the middle of a metropolis.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
10. Koishikawa Korakuen (Bunkyo Ward)
This garden has been designated as both a special place of scenic beauty and a special historic site by the national government. There is much to see here, including a variety of structures that were built to resemble scenic spots in Japan and China. In the fall, the leaves of the trees in the garden, such as Japanese maple and gingko, color beautifully. You can enjoy this view from several spots, such as by the rest stop, Maruya, which looks like an old Japanese tea house.
Best time to see the foliage: Usually between late November and early December
Entrance fee: 300 JPY/general, 150 JPY/age 65 and older, Free/children who are of elementary school age or younger, as well as junior high school students who are living or have attend school in Tokyo
11. Nezu Museum (Minato Ward)
This is an art museum with a beautiful garden just ten minutes on foot from the stylish Omotesando area. There is a lovely corridor of bamboo leading up to the museum entrance (there is no entry to the garden only). The 17,000 sq.m. Japanese garden that is designed around a pond, utilizing the natural undulation of the landscape, has four tea rooms and numerous view points scattered around it. The photograph is of a spot that aptly represents the charm of Nezu Museum. The intricate paths that weave around the garden are wonderful to stroll on to take in the beauty of the fall foliage. The museum with exhibits of pre-modern art from Japan and other Asian countries is also well worth visiting.
Best time to see the foliage: Late November - early December
Entrance fee: 1,100 JPY - 1,300 JPY (depends on the Special Exhibition and Gallery Exhibition being held at the time)
12. Todoroki Valley (Setagaya Ward)
Todoroki Valley, located near Todoroki Station, which is about 20 minutes by train from Shibuya Station, is the only valley in the 23 special wards of Tokyo and is designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. There is a 10m drop to the bottom of the valley from the road so once you enter the valley, you will be in a wonderfully serene world that is unimaginable from the road from the station. This is a great place to enjoy the fall foliage together with the birds and stream and feel relaxed and refreshed. Parts of the paths may be wet from the spring water, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes.
Best time to see the foliage: Mid-November - early December
13. Kinuta Park (Setagaya Ward)
This is a park with approximately 1,000 deciduous trees, such as maple and Japanese zelkova, that change colors beautifully in the fall. There is an avenue lined with tall Japanese zelkova trees from the main entrance facing Tokyo Ring 8 highway, and a large grassy area called Family Park surrounded by multicolored trees. There are many large trees and the contrast between the colorful deciduous trees and evergreens is wonderful. Take a picnic and enjoy a lunch on the lawn of Family Park. Pets and bicycles are not allowed on the lawn area, which is often full of families and couples enjoying a relaxing day out.
Best time to see the foliage: Late November - early December.
14. Mizumoto Park (Katsushika Ward)
This is a park with one of the most extensive waterside views in Tokyo. There are benches facing the lake in the park, so you can sit on them and relax while enjoying a view of the lake. There is a path lined with 200 20m-tall poplar trees that color beautifully in the fall, together with trees such as maple and gingko that turn wonderful hues of reds and yellows. In particular, the colors in the forest of 1,800 metasequoia trees (often referred to as living fossils) are outstanding. There is a view of Misato Park (Saitama Prefecture) across the lake. The two parks are connected so you can walk between them.
Best time to see the foliage: Early November - mid-December
15. Kuhombutsu Joshin-ji Temple (Setagaya Ward)
Official name: Kuhonzan Yuizainembutusu-in Joshin-ji
Walk 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the trendy town of Jiyugaoka and you will come to a quiet, residential neighborhood with this historic temple that was built in 1678. Enter through the gate to be greeted by a tunnel of vividly colored maple trees. The sight of the leaves from the great gingko tree (designated as a Natural Monument by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government) falling onto the Japanese rock garden (a garden of rocks made to represent mountains and water without using any water) is like a picture that depicts a quintessential scene of fall foliage in Japan. There is a particular charm to seeing the foliage in the serene atmosphere of the temple grounds.
Best time to see the foliage: Late November - early December
If you are coming to Tokyo in the fall, check out the beautiful fall foliage!
*Please note that the information in this article is from the time of writing or publication and may differ from the latest information.
