Tokyo Autumn Leaves 2026: Rikugien Light-Up Nov 25–Dec 6, Koishikawa Korakuen Night Opening Nov 13–24

The short answer

Tokyo's two big autumn garden light-ups in 2026 are Koishikawa Korakuen's special night opening, November 13 (Fri)–24 (Tue), and Rikugien's "Niwa-momiji no Rikugien" evening viewing, November 25 (Wed)–December 6 (Sun). Both cost ¥1,000 in advance and ¥1,200 on the day.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association announced Rikugien on September 3 and Koishikawa Korakuen on October 8. Koishikawa Korakuen's online advance tickets are already on sale (until 23:59 on November 12); for Rikugien, the association says the ticket release date "will be announced on the website once decided" — as of October 14 it has not been.

Peak color itself usually runs from mid-November to early December, shifting a few days year to year. Between the two evening garden light-ups, the free, 24-hour Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue and Mt. Takao about 45 minutes from Shinjuku, you can see four kinds of autumn without leaving Tokyo. The dates and prices below were checked on the official pages of each garden and operator on October 14, 2026.

2026 dates and prices at a glance

By day (9:00–17:00, last entry 16:30) both Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen charge adults ¥300. On evening-event days both gardens close once at 17:00 and reopen at 18:00 for evening-ticket holders only.

Koishikawa Korakuen - special night opening (Nov 13-24)

An earlier version of this page said Koishikawa Korakuen has no evening light-up. That was wrong: the park association says it is holding its special night opening "again this year," and in 2026 it runs under the title "Miyama Kōyō" from November 13 (Fri) to 24 (Tue), 18:00-21:00 (last entry 20:00).

• Entry and exit: enter by the West Gate, leave by the East Gate. Some areas are closed at night for safety.
• Tickets: entry is by evening ticket only, required from junior-high age up (including Tokyo residents and students). Online advance tickets cost ¥1,000 and are on sale from October 1, 10:00 until November 12, 23:59 (Seven Ticket, KKday and asoview!); online same-day tickets cost ¥1,200 from 0:00 on November 13 to 19:30 on November 24. Same-day tickets are also sold at the West Gate window each evening from 18:00 to 20:00 (cash only, limited numbers). Disability-certificate holders and one carer get a discount (¥500).
• What you'll see: light-ups of the "Hitotsu-matsu" pine (modelled on the Karasaki pine of Lake Biwa), the Hōrai-jima island in the main pond, and the Kara-mon gate with its winter snow-ropes (yukitsuri); projection mapping on the Engetsukyo (Full-Moon Bridge) and the earthen garden wall. The Kantokutei house opens a night-only tea counter, "Biidoro Chaya" (18:00-20:30, last order 20:00, cash only), and food trucks set up in the Matsubara area.
• Note: per the official notice, the Tsūten-kyō bridge and Ōi-gawa stream area - normally a foliage highlight - are under construction and cannot be seen.

By day, Koishikawa Korakuen (Bunkyo-ku, Koraku) is one of only nine sites in Japan with the double designation of Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty, an Edo-period strolling garden whose signature autumn view is the red maples framing the Full-Moon Bridge. Open 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30), adult ¥300, 65+ ¥150, closed December 29-January 1. It draws fewer crowds than Rikugien or the ginkgo avenue - come on a weekday morning if you can.

Rikugien - the evening light-up (Nov 25-Dec 6)

Rikugien (Bunkyo-ku, Honkomagome) is normally open 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30; adult ¥300, 65+ ¥150, free for elementary-age children and under and for Tokyo junior-high students). For about two weeks in late autumn it reopens after dark for "Niwa-momiji no Rikugien", and in 2026 that runs November 25 (Wed) to December 6 (Sun), 18:00-20:30 (last entry 19:30).

• Tickets: entry is by evening ticket only. Advance tickets (¥1,000) are online only; same-day tickets (¥1,200) are sold online and at the Main Gate window (18:00-19:30, cash only). Elementary-age children and under are free; the disability-certificate rate is ¥500. Numbers are capped each day to control crowding.
• Release date: not yet announced for 2026 (as of 2026-10-14; the association says ticket release dates and sales details "will be announced on the website once decided"). In 2025, advance tickets went on sale on November 1 at 9:00 and, being date-specific, could be bought until 23:59 the day before your visit. Watch the official Rikugien light-up page and the Rikugien news page of the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association.
• Buy online: the official notice says online buyers enter through a priority lane.
• What you'll see: light-ups across the garden centred on the maples, photo spots around the grounds, matcha-and-sweets tea houses (Fukiage Chaya and Shinsentei), food stalls and kitchen cars - and, new for 2026, projection mapping on the wall of the old Iwasaki-era storehouse and in the bamboo grove.

It is quieter and more atmospheric than a festival - closer to a formal garden after hours.

Meiji Jingu Gaien - the free ginkgo avenue

The 300-metre icho namiki running toward the old Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery is lined with 146 ginkgo trees in four rows (Minato City): free entry, open around the clock. Color usually peaks in the second half of November. The wider Gaien district is under long-term redevelopment, and nearby paths and the area around the Picture Gallery can have construction fencing, so check the official Jingu Gaien redevelopment site for current closures before you go.

As of October 14 we could not find any official notice on the Meiji Jingu Gaien website about a 2026 "Icho Matsuri" food-stall festival or an evening ginkgo light-up. Plan around the avenue itself, not around an event that may not happen.

Mt. Takao - the mountain version

For forest rather than garden color, Mt. Takao is about 45-50 minutes from Shinjuku on the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station. A cable car and a two-person chair lift carry you partway up; both charge the same adult fare of ¥490 one-way / ¥980 round-trip (Takao Tozan Railway fare table, checked 2026-10-14). Color moves down the mountain through the season, so the summit turns first (mid-November) and the base last (into early December). Peak-color weekends bring long queues at the cable car (it normally runs every 15 minutes, with extra cars when busy, per Takao Tozan Railway) - go early on a weekday, or walk one of the marked trails instead.

Quiet etiquette

These are gardens people return to every year, not a one-time photo op, and the etiquette is simple: stay on the paths (stepping onto moss or planted beds damages roots that take years to recover), don't shake branches or pick leaves, and keep tripods and selfie sticks out of narrow walkways so other visitors can pass. At the evening light-ups, flash photography of other guests is discouraged and voices carry in the quiet dark - keep them low.

If you want to fit a tea ceremony, calligraphy or another hands-on tradition around the foliage, see our guide to traditional cultural experiences in Tokyo.

Getting there

• Rikugien: JR Yamanote Line Komagome Station (South Exit) or Metro Namboku Line Komagome Station, 7-min walk; or Toei Mita Line Sengoku Station, 10-min walk. The evening viewing entrance is the Main Gate.
• Koishikawa Korakuen: the night opening is entered by the West Gate only. To the West Gate: Toei Oedo Line Iidabashi Station (Exit C3), 3-min walk; JR Sobu Line Iidabashi Station (East Exit) or Metro Tozai/Yurakucho/Namboku Line Iidabashi Station (Exits A1/A3), 8-min walk. JR Sobu Line Suidobashi Station (West Exit, 5-min walk) and Metro Marunouchi/Namboku Line Korakuen Station (Exit 2, 6-min walk) bring you to the East Gate, which is exit-only during the night opening - at night, come from the Iidabashi side.
• Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue: Metro Ginza Line Gaienmae Station, 3-min walk; or Aoyama-itchome Station, 6-min walk.
• Mt. Takao: Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station (about 45-50 min from Shinjuku), then a 5-minute walk to the cable car base station.

Dates and prices above were checked on the official pages of the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association, Takao Tozan Railway and others on October 14, 2026. For anything not yet announced - such as Rikugien's ticket release date - check each garden's official site before you go.