Tokyo: Starting to Change

Today I visited three autumn color spots in Tokyo, where the season was getting underway. Temperatures have been a little above average in recent weeks, and the colors across eastern Japan seem to be progressing a few days behind their usual pace. Cooler nights expected over the coming days are likely to encourage the leaves to change.

I expect Tokyo's colors to become attractive during the second half of November, with the peak likely to fall in the last third of November and into early December. For now, there were pockets of yellow and orange to enjoy, but plenty of green remained at all three stops.

I began at the Ginkgo Avenue in Meiji Jingu Gaien. The avenue's four rows were only just starting to change overall, although some trees already had some attractive yellow hues. Crowds were gathering by 8:30 this Sunday, even with the main display still to come. I expect the avenue to reach its peak during the second half of November.

Next I visited Shinjuku Gyoen, whose Japanese garden, formal garden and broad landscape garden lawns offer quite different settings for autumn colors. The season was generally just beginning, with scattered coloring trees among the green foliage. I expect the park's best colors from late November to early December.

Toward the end of my visit, I checked Momijiyama, or Maple Hill. Its maple canopy was still green. This is typically one of the park's later autumn color areas, often not reaching its peak until December.

My final stop was Koishikawa Korakuen, a traditional Japanese landscape garden beside Tokyo Dome. Coloring had started here too: some trees around the main pond showed orange and yellow, while much of the garden remained green. I expect the peak to arrive in late November to early December.