TOKYO - Autumn seems to be passing quickly this year, with peak foliage arriving almost before many have had time to notice. To help readers avoid missing the season’s highlights, reporters visited some of the best spots now at their most vibrant.
In Tokyo, Shinjuku Gyoen has reached peak color. According to the park’s management office, the standout foliage at the moment is a tulip tree estimated to be more than 100 years old. Nearby, a row of plane trees forms an elegant corridor, and roses were also in bloom beside them.
One visitor said, without breaking stride as the leaves rustled overhead, that it is “such a wonderful place that I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t come here. It’s a very precious space,” describing how easy it is to forget the noise of the city and savor a brief moment of autumn calm.
Another popular spot, Meiji Jingu Gaien, has drawn large crowds who stroll beneath a roughly 300-meter tunnel of yellow and green ginkgo trees. “It’s beautiful. This is the best timing. It’s at its peak,” a visitor said. Light-up events will begin on November 22nd and continue until November 30th.
Across town in front of Tokyo Station, Gyoko-dori has also embraced the season. Parts of Marunouchi were closed to traffic, and once the sun went down the trees were illuminated, offering a different take on urban autumn colors. A seasonal market will run until December 25th, and the illuminations will remain in place until February 15th, 2026.
Many of these destinations are only a short step from the city center, yet they offer a full spectrum of autumn hues.
Farther west, Shisendo in Kyoto’s Sakyo Ward is also at its peak. Once the retirement residence of Ishikawa Jozan, a poet and retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, it is now a Zen temple. Inside the “Hall of the Immortal Poets,” portraits of 36 legendary Chinese poets hang with their verses.
In the garden stands a shishi-odoshi, the bamboo water-tapping device often associated with quiet temple landscapes. Shisendo is considered the birthplace of the design, and its distinctive sound enhances the sense of stillness. “We wanted to heighten the silence and emphasize it,” said the temple’s chief priest, Ishikawa Junji.
The foliage here is said to be at its best this week. Local broadcasters reported live from the temple grounds, noting that Shisendo has also become a popular stop for visitors experiencing “Expo loss” after the cancellation of parts of the World Expo schedule.
Whether in Tokyo or Kyoto, Japan’s peak autumn colors offer a brief but memorable escape before the season quickly gives way to winter.
Source: YOMIURI
