Tokyo Autumn Leaves 2026: Why the Ginkgo and Maples Miss Each Other
Tokyo peaks late November to mid-December, and the ginkgo runs two weeks ahead of the maples. Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen both ticket their night openings — dates, and how the crowds actually work.
Most people get Tokyo's autumn wrong in the same way: they treat it as one date. The ginkgo at Gaien turns gold, so they plan Rikugien for the following weekend — and find the maples still half green.
Tokyo's autumn is not one season. It is two seasons about two weeks apart, and simply separating them changes what the same effort gets you.
Worth knowing too that the mountains finish first. Irohazaka at Nikko and Mount Takao run mid-October to early November, Kawaguchiko early-to-mid November. The city comes after all of them.
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Tokyo arrives ginkgo first, maple second
| Peak | |
|---|---|
| Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo avenue | Mid-November to early December |
| Rikugien and Korakuen maples | Late November to early December |
| Tokyo lowlands generally | Late November to mid-December |
About two weeks separates them. Seeing the ginkgo and the maples on the same weekend rarely works.
The inverse is just as useful: hunting red maples inside Tokyo in mid-November is too early. For red in that window, Mount Takao is still the surer bet.
Meiji Jingu Gaien: the scale is the crowd
The ginkgo avenue turns from mid-November into early December, and the festival period draws crowds in the region of 1.8 million.
That figure explains the experience. The avenue is a single straight line, everyone is photographing the same composition, and on a weekend afternoon the walking pace drops to a shuffle.
The avenue itself is covered in the Gaien ginkgo guide.
Rikugien: the maple count, and the ticket
Rikugien is among Tokyo's best-known maple gardens. At peak it colours around 560 trees, including roughly 400 Japanese maples alongside enkianthus and ginkgo.
The night viewing needs a ticket
Autumn night viewing usually runs late November into early December, 6:00pm to 8:30pm with last entry at 7:30pm. The part people miss: entry requires a ticket.
- Advance tickets are online only, and cheaper than same-day
- Same-day tickets are sold online, or in cash at the gate
- Advance sales typically open at the start of November
Confirm the 2026 dates and prices against the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association announcement. They move each year.
What actually causes the queue
Rikugien's crowding is driven less by numbers than by path width. The garden's routes are narrow, people pool on them, and every passing group stops the flow. The park's own notice warns that entry waits can occur when it is busy.
Holding an advance ticket does not remove that queue. Arriving in the 6pm hour just after lighting, or near the end, moves better than the middle.
Koishikawa Korakuen: 13–24 November 2026
Korakuen's night opening, "Enjoying the deep-mountain light and leaves" (深山光葉を楽しむ), is announced for 13–24 November 2026.
Notice the mismatch. That window sits ahead of the garden's own maple peak. Korakuen starts colouring in mid-November and peaks late November into early December — so the back half of the night opening has more colour than the front.
If you go early in the run, go for the ginkgo and the lit atmosphere rather than red maples, and your expectations will match what is there.
How to actually sequence it
Distances inside Tokyo are short, so here the date is the whole decision.
- Mid-November — Gaien ginkgo. Maples still early
- 13–24 November — Korakuen night opening; colour still building early in the run
- Late November to early December — the maples proper, and Rikugien's night viewing
- Mid-December — late trees hold on and the crowds thin sharply
Two visits two weeks apart beats two gardens in one weekend. You see both at peak instead of neither.
Booking order
- Rikugien night tickets first — advance is online only and cheaper than same-day
- Weight Korakuen to the back half of its run, where the colour is
- Avoid weekend afternoons. Both Gaien and Rikugien are at their least mobile then
- Check the colour report close to your date — forecasts move by a week or more
A phone that works makes all of this easier, since the night tickets and the colour reports are online — a Japan eSIM installs at home over your own WiFi (Airalo or Saily).
FAQ
When does Tokyo's autumn colour peak in 2026? The lowlands run late November to mid-December. The Gaien ginkgo comes about two weeks earlier, from mid-November.
Does Rikugien's night viewing need a reservation? It needs a ticket. Advance tickets are online only and cheaper than same-day; same-day tickets are sold online or in cash at the gate. Confirm 2026 dates and prices with the official announcement.
When is Koishikawa Korakuen's night opening? 13–24 November 2026. It sits slightly ahead of the garden's maple peak, so go late in the run if colour is the priority.
When is it busiest? Weekend afternoons. The Gaien festival period draws crowds around 1.8 million, and the avenue is a single line, so the pace slows to a shuffle.
Can I see red maples in Tokyo in mid-November? Usually too early. Mount Takao is the more reliable option in that window.
Related
Alex Rivera
Travel & Living Editor
Expat guide. Helps people actually move to and navigate Japan.
Moved from London to Tokyo in 2018. Went through the full gaijin experience—visa, housing, banking, the works. Now writes the guide he wished he had.
Tokyo
Expertise
Moving to Tokyo, expat life, travel, Kyoto vs Tokyo, onsen
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