Tokyo Turns Gold and Where to See Autumn Leaves in 2026

6 locations·JR Ome Line (Okutama, Mitake, Nishi-Tachikawa) and JR Nishi-Hachioji

Start with the western outings if you are visiting in mid November. Mount Mitake and Mitake Gorge share JR Mitake Station, so they make one day out if you leave daylight for the river path. Lake Okutama needs a separate bus ride from JR Okutama Station. Mount Takao turns earlier, from around November 9, and should still have color this week before its leaves start to fall around November 26. Showa Kinen Park in Tachikawa holds its Autumn Night Walk from October 29 to November 29, so it also works before and after this week. Koishikawa Korakuen in Bunkyo opens at night from November 13 to 24, ahead of its own leaves, and is listed in the final week.

TMC48 / CC BY-SA 3.0

1

Lake Okutama

(奥多摩湖)

rated well.

Rating

Hara

Hara, Okutama, Nishitama District, Tokyo, Japan

From ~Nov 16Day tripFree

• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 16, the earliest date in this guide.
• Take a bus from JR Okutama Station to Okutama-ko.
• The lakeside has no admission charge.

2

Showa Kinen Park

(国営昭和記念公園)

rated highly.

Rating

Midorichō

3173 Midorichō, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0014, Japan

From ~Nov 17Night viewingGinkgo

• Walk beneath the ginkgo on the Katarai avenue, then follow the rows beside the Canal, with the Japanese Garden to add to the visit.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 17.
• The Autumn Night Walk runs from October 29 to November 29, with lights on from 16:30 to 20:30.
• The Katarai ginkgo avenue and the Canal need only regular park admission, which is ¥450 for adults.
• The Japanese Garden costs an extra ¥1,200 online or ¥1,300 in cash at the window. An adult ticket including park entry costs ¥1,600 online, and window sales stop if the online allocation sells out.
• Nishi-Tachikawa Gate is two minutes from JR Nishi-Tachikawa Station.

Night walk details

Guilhem Vellut / CC BY 2.0

3

Mount Mitake

(御岳山)

rated highly.

Rating

Mitakesan

Mount Mitake, Mitakesan, Ome, Tokyo 198-0175, Japan

From ~Nov 18Day tripCable car

• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 18.
• From JR Mitake Station, a bus of about 10 minutes and a five minute walk bring you to the cable car.
• The cable car costs ¥1,400 round trip for adults under fares revised on October 1, 2026.

Cable car fares

Hotate Chan / CC BY-SA 3.0

4

Mitake Gorge

(御岳渓谷)

rated highly.

Rating

Mitake

1 Chome Mitake, Ome, Tokyo 198-0174, Japan

Early to late NovDay tripFree

• Walkerplus lists early to late November as the usual viewing period. No 2026 forecast for the gorge is used in this guide.
• The riverside path along the Tama River near JR Mitake Station is free to walk.
• You can combine a gorge walk with Mount Mitake, allowing time for the bus and cable car.

5

Koshu Kaido Ginkgo Avenue

(甲州街道いちょう並木)

rated well.

Rating

Namikichō

Japan, 〒193-0831 Tokyo, Hachioji, Namikichō, 23, 高尾町

From ~Nov 20GinkgoFree

• About 770 ginkgo line both sides of the road for roughly 4 km, by Weathernews’ count.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 20.
• Walk it from the north exit of JR Nishi-Hachioji, or from JR and Keio Takao.

Edomura no Tokuzo / CC BY-SA 3.0

6

Mount Takao

(高尾山)

rated highly.

Rating

Takaomachi

Mount Takao, Takaomachi, Hachioji, Tokyo 193-0844, Japan

From ~Nov 9Cable carFree

• Weathernews expects good viewing on the mountain from around November 9, with the leaves starting to fall from around November 26.
• An older JMC estimate from September, reported by nippon.com, put the summit at November 6 to 20.
• The cable car from Kiyotaki Station is optional and costs ¥980 round trip for adults.
• From Keio Takaosanguchi, allow about an hour to the summit with the cable car, or about two hours on foot.

2 locations·Gaienmae and Tokyu Komazawa-daigaku

This week moves into the city, starting with the ginkgo and zelkova at Komazawa. The Gaien ginkgo avenue runs later than this week suggests. JMC’s citywide Tokyo ginkgo forecast is November 26, while Weathernews puts the avenue itself around November 29, so plan for late November into early December.

7

Komazawa Olympic Park

(駒沢オリンピック公園)

rated modestly.

Rating

Komazawakōen

1-1 Komazawakōen, Setagaya City, Tokyo 154-0013, Japan

From ~Nov 23Free

• Ginkgo and zelkova color the paths of a park built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, with cherry and trident maple turning red and yellow beside them.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 23.
• The park is about 15 minutes on foot from Komazawa-daigaku Station on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line, and entry is free.

Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan / CC BY 2.0

8

Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue

(明治神宮外苑いちょう並木)

rated highly.

Rating

Kitaaoyama

2-chōme-7-付近 Kitaaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0061, Japan

Late Nov to early DecGinkgoFree

• The ginkgo run about 300 m from the Aoyama-dori entrance toward the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, planted in order of height so the avenue draws the eye toward the gallery.
• Plan for late November into early December. JMC’s Tokyo ginkgo forecast is November 26, while Weathernews puts this avenue around November 29.
• Weathernews notes scaffolding on the gallery until about the end of May 2027, which changes the view at the end of the avenue.
• The avenue is free, and Weathernews lists any 2026 illumination as undecided.
• It is about five minutes from Gaienmae or Aoyama-itchome, or about 10 minutes from JR Shinanomachi.

11 locations·Komagome, Iidabashi, Kiyosumi-shirakawa and Shinjuku-gyoenmae

This week offers the largest choice of parks and gardens in this guide, from central Tokyo out to Kokubunji and Musashino. Several gardens are forecast to reach good viewing in early December, and their season may continue beyond this planner’s final week. For a longer garden day, visit Kyu-Furukawa by day and Rikugien in the evening, buying Rikugien’s separate night ticket. Most metropolitan gardens run autumn programs until December 6, and six of the gardens here share a stamp rally ending the same day.

9

Hibiya Park

(日比谷公園)

rated well.

Rating

Hibiyakōen

1-6 Hibiyakōen, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0012, Japan

From ~Nov 30GinkgoFree

• Head for Kumogata Pond, where autumn trees surround a crane fountain, and the S-shaped ginkgo path, whose layout dates from the park’s 1903 opening.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 30.
• The park is about two minutes from Hibiya or Kasumigaseki stations, and entry is free.

10

Yoyogi Park

(代々木公園)

rated highly.

Rating

Yoyogikamizonochō

2-1 Yoyogikamizonochō, Shibuya, Tokyo 151-0052, Japan

From ~Nov 30Free

• Head for the wooded side of the park, across the road from the sports and event grounds. According to Weathernews, the color moves from zelkova to ginkgo to Japanese maple, so the season here runs for more than a month.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around November 30.
• Enter from JR Harajuku or Yoyogi-koen Station on the Chiyoda Line. Entry is free.

11

Kiyosumi Gardens

(清澄庭園)

rated highly.

Rating

Kiyosumi

3-chōme-3-9 Kiyosumi, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0024, Japan

From ~Dec 2Japanese garden¥150

• Stepping stones along the pond’s edge bring the garden walk close to the water, with changing views across the pond and its islands.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 2.
• Admission is ¥150, or ¥70 for visitors 65 and over, with hours of 9:00 to 17:00 and last entry at 16:30.
• The garden is about three minutes from Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station.

12

Kyu-Furukawa Gardens

(旧古河庭園)

rated well.

Rating

Nishigahara

1-chōme-27-39 Nishigahara, Kita City, Tokyo 114-0024, Japan

From ~Dec 2Japanese gardenRoses

• A Western style mansion and rose beds sit on the upper ground, with a Japanese garden below, so one visit takes in two garden styles.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 2.
• The autumn program pairs maples with roses from November 7 to December 6, from 9:00 to 17:00.
• Admission is ¥150, or ¥70 for visitors 65 and over. The Western style house charges separately.
• It is about seven minutes from JR Kami-Nakazato or from Nishigahara on the Namboku Line.

13

Rikugien Gardens

(六義園)

rated highly.

Rating

Honkomagome

6-chōme-16-3 Honkomagome, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 113-0021, Japan

From ~Dec 3Night viewingJapanese garden

• Paths circle a pond through landscapes drawn from Japanese poetry. Come by day for the Edo period garden, or choose one of its autumn evening openings.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 3.
• Night viewing runs from November 25 to December 6, 18:00 to 20:30, with last entry at 19:30. The garden closes at 17:00 and reopens at 18:00.
• Night tickets are ¥1,000 online in advance or ¥1,200 on the day, online or in cash at the main gate. Daily numbers are limited.
• The ticket sale date had not been announced as of October 22.
• Daytime admission is ¥300, and the garden is seven minutes from Komagome Station.

Night viewing details

14

Tonogayato Gardens

(殿ヶ谷戸庭園)

rated well.

Rating

Minamicho

2 Chome-16 Minamicho, Kokubunji, Tokyo 185-0021, Japan

From ~Dec 2Japanese garden¥150

• The garden follows a slope from an upper lawn down to a spring fed pond, with maples framing the view near the Koyo-tei pavilion.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 2.
• The garden’s roughly 200 Japanese maples usually turn between mid November and early December.
• The Koyo-tei pavilion opens its shutters from November 21 to 23.
• Admission is ¥150, or ¥70 for visitors 65 and over, and Kokubunji Station is two minutes away.

15

Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

(小石川後楽園)

rated highly.

Rating

Kōraku

1-chōme-6-6 Kōraku, Bunkyo City, Tokyo 112-0004, Japan

From ~Dec 4Night viewingJapanese garden

• Begun by the Mito Tokugawa family in 1629, the garden brings landscapes from Japan and China together around its pond.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 4.
• The night opening runs from November 13 to 24, 18:00 to 21:00, with last entry at 20:00, ahead of the natural color.
• The garden closes at 17:00 and reopens at 18:00. Enter at the West Gate, about three minutes from Iidabashi Exit C3, and leave by the East Gate.
• Night tickets are needed from junior high school age. They cost ¥1,000 online until November 12, then ¥1,200 online or in cash at the West Gate window while stock lasts.
• Construction blocks the view of Tsutenkyo Bridge and the Oigawa area. The daytime program runs November 21 to December 6, and admission is ¥300.

Night opening tickets

16

Hamarikyu Gardens

(浜離宮恩賜庭園)

rated highly.

Rating

Hamarikyūteien

1-1 Hamarikyūteien, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0046, Japan

From ~Dec 4Japanese garden¥300

• The main pond takes in seawater from Tokyo Bay, so the tide changes the scene through the day.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 4.
• Admission is ¥300, or ¥150 for visitors 65 and over, with hours of 9:00 to 17:00 and last entry at 16:30.
• It is about five minutes from Shiodome, by the Oedo Line (Exit 10) or Yurikamome.

Htanaungg / CC BY-SA 4.0

17

Inokashira Park

(井の頭恩賜公園)

rated highly.

Rating

Gotenyama

1-chōme-18-31 Gotenyama, Musashino, Tokyo 180-0005, Japan

From ~Dec 4Pond walkFree

• Take the path around Inokashira Pond, which Weathernews points to for the color, with rowing boats on the water.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 4.
• The park is about one minute from Inokashira-koen Station or five from Kichijoji, and entry is free.

18

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

(新宿御苑)

rated very highly.

Rating

Naitōmachi

11 Naitōmachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014, Japan

From ~Dec 5Check closed days¥500

• About 160 sycamores in eight straight rows flank the Formal Garden, and their leaves turn bright gold in autumn.
• Weathernews expects good viewing from around December 5.
• The garden is usually closed on Mondays, or on the next weekday after a Monday holiday, so it opens on November 23 and closes on November 24. It also opens on Mondays from November 1 to 15 for the chrysanthemum display. From October it is open 9:00 to 16:30, with last entry at 16:00.
• Admission is ¥500, or ¥250 for students from high school age up and for visitors 65 and over. Children through junior high enter free.
• Advance web tickets are sold but not required. Shinjuku-gyoenmae Exit 1 is about five minutes away.

Hours and admission

19

Todoroki Valley

(等々力渓谷)

rated well.

Rating

Todoroki

1-chōme-22-26 Todoroki, Setagaya City, Tokyo 158-0082, Japan

Early DecValley walkFree

• Weathernews has no entry for the valley itself. It expects good viewing at Todoroki Fudoson, the temple above it, from around December 5.
• Setagaya City reopened the riverside path on March 24, 2026. It is narrow and partly unlit, so leave before dark.
• The valley is about three minutes from Todoroki Station on the Tokyu Oimachi Line, and entry is free.