Fall in Tokyo 2024: Experience Autumn Colors and Fall Foliage

Tokyo may be a bustling metropolis, but it’s also home to several beautiful spots where you can enjoy the vibrant colors of Japan’s unforgettable fall sights. Join us as we explore the best places in Tokyo to witness autumn foliage, from popular parks like Shinjuku Gyoen and Yoyogi Park to quieter temples and shrines.

We’ll also touch on seasonal festivals and events that celebrate the autumn season, making it a great guide for both locals and visitors. Whether you’re strolling through Tokyo’s parks or visiting historical sites, this guide helps you make the most of the city’s fall scenery.

While you’re all up in your fall feelings, check out the best places to see fall leaves in Japan, warm up with Japan’s fall foods and check out the best fall foliage spots in Kyoto.

Now, let’s add a few more must-visit spots to your Tokyo to-do list, shall we?

Fall in Japan begins in the northeast and slowly sweeps across Japan’s landscapes towards the southwest, beginning at the end of September and stretching into December. 

You’ll see leaves begin to change in Tokyo from October, but for the full koyo (fall leaves) you’ve been dreaming of, you’ll likely need to wait until November, when many spots burst in scenes of burning reds and golden yellows.

But, good news! Unlike spring’s cherry blossom season, autumn in Japan lasts over a month. You’ll have plenty of time to organize your fall foliage viewing trips and even revisit areas to see fall truly take hold throughout Tokyo.

September will retain much of summer’s heat, so you won’t need to change up your outfit too much until October and November. During these autumn months, a light breeze and cooler evenings may warrant longer sleeves and a thin jacket or sweater in the evenings. 

Typhoon season: This period of time is also typhoon season in Japan, meaning it’s a good idea to keep an umbrella with you for any sudden showers until the end of October.

Below are the average temperatures in Tokyo across the autumn months. 

If you’ve read our Kyoto Fall Guide 2024, you’ll notice that the average temperatures throughout autumn are quite similar in both the old and the new capital.

Fall won’t have reached Tokyo yet, so use this time to tick off a few more must-see attractions and must-try food tours and classes before the leaves catch up.

Find out more: Ultimate 3-Day Tokyo Itinerary for First-Time Travelers to Japan’s Capital

Even though the leaves haven’t started showing their true fall colors just yet, the celebrations have! September sees a number of seasonal festivals in and around Tokyo: 

• Kichijoji’s Autumn Festival - 14-15 September: Kichijoji residents carry portable shrines around the neighborhood while performances and food stalls line the streets.

• Setagaya Hachimangu Autumn Festival - 14-15 September: Along with another portable shrine procession, this festival is unique for its inclusion of student sumo — free to watch after trying out some Japanese street food.

• Okunitama Chestnut Festival - 27-28 September: Dating back to 1738, this festival is all about chestnuts and paper lanterns. While trying the traditional fall food of chestnuts, take a closer look at the paper lanterns for hand-drawn pictures.

You know those fake Japanese food samples you see everywhere in Japan? Well, now you can learn to make your own in this unique and memorable fake food workshop!

Choose which type of food you’d like to make — ranging from ramen and tarts to cupcakes and parfait — getting expertise guidance from a Yamato Sample Factory professional, a food sample-making company that has been operating in Japan for almost 70 years.

Since the fall leaves haven’t reached Tokyo yet, make time to experience some of Tokyo’s famous nightlife in this bar-hopping tour through Shinjuku.

Join a local guide as they take you to some of Shinjuku’s most popular restaurants and izakaya bars, avoiding the tourist traps with sipping on sake, beer and any beverage of your choice alongside delicious Japanese food.

Read more: Top 10 Izakaya in Tokyo

Makiyaki Ginza Onodera is a Michelin-starred French restaurant with touches of Basque cuisine, bringing French and Japanese cuisine together with their signature wood-fired grill — tempting diners with their famous wood-fired wagyu steak and Basque-style cheesecake. 

For something a little more traditional, try Michelin-starred sushi at Sushi Shin, a historic Nishi-Azabu sushi restaurant that was one of the first in Japan to receive a Michelin star. Treat yourself to one of their three course menus, from lunch options to omakase sushi (chef’s choice).

Read more: 13 Affordable Omakase Sushi Restaurants in Tokyo

Even throughout October, much of Tokyo’s lush green spaces remain, well, green. It won’t be until mid to late-October when fall starts to really take hold in the capital, but there is one place you’ll want to visit…

Shinjuku Gyoen (Shinjuku Park) is actually three separate gardens combined into one gorgeous park; the Japanese Garden is known for its red maple leaves, the British Garden glitters in the iconic gold of ginkgo, and the French Garden evokes European vibes throughout the year.

Some of these trees have leaves that change color as early as mid-October, with other trees catching up into November. You’ll have plenty of reasons to come back all throughout autumn, likely enjoying different colors each time you do. 

Note: Admission is ¥500 and the park is open from 9 am to 5:30 pm, closing on Mondays.

Prepare yourself for a metropolis that’s dotted with splashes of fall colors.

Once owned by the famed Tokugawa family, feudal lords of the Edo Period, Hamarikyu Gardens is known as one of Tokyo’s best fall foliage spots. Amidst this iconic skyline, you’ll find maple trees of all colors, adding splashes of red, orange and yellow to your Feed.

Hibiya Park first opened 1903 as a uniquely Western-style park, providing another relaxing green space in the center of Tokyo. But during the fall, one specific tree draws crowds from all over: a ginkgo tree, affectionately named the “risky ginkgo” as the creation of the park almost saw it taken down. 

Rooted in this spot for the last 400-500 years, it’s believed to be the largest ginkgo tree in Hibiya and it shines in gold from late November to early December.

Oh, one breathtaking ginkgo tree wasn’t enough? Take a walk over to the outer gardens of Meiji Shrine and you’ll discover a 300-meter-long street that’s lined with ginkgo trees. In fact, 146 trees make for a stunning scene of yellows and golds, signaling that autumn has truly reached Tokyo.

Mizumoto Park is unlike any other park on this list. Not only is it the biggest riverside park in Tokyo’s metropolis, but it also features 1,800 towering redwood trees, making its visitors feel like they’ve been transported to one of the US’s National Parks.

Walk through them while looking up and you’ll see their red leaves set against Japan’s bright autumn sky..

As Tokyo’s fifth biggest park, you were likely going to come to Yoyogi Park at some point during your trip to appreciate its oasis of green amidst the largest city in the world. But during the fall, this is a must-see leaf-viewing destination. 

From mid to late-November, Yoyogi offers all of autumn’s finest colors, taking you on a journey from the yellow ginkgo leaves of Harajuku Gate to the stunning reds of maple leaves near Yoyogi Park's main fountain.

Mt. Takao is where many Tokyoites go to escape the city in favor of a gentle hike and beautiful nature, but it becomes even more irresistible during fall. As soon as you leave Takao-san Station you’ll be met with the reds and yellows of autumn, continuing all the way to the summit. 

Want to enjoy a BBQ buffet and Asahi beer while looking out over the views of Mt. Takao? You need to know about Mt. Takao Beer Mount.

It takes about 1.5-2 hours to reach Hikawa Valley from Shinjuku Station, but it’ll be so worth it once you reach the northwest city of Okutama, an area blessed with nature.  

The fall views begin as soon as you leave the station, but most people head to the point where the Tama River and the Nipparagawa River meet; red maple trees, orange Japanese Judas trees, and yellow ginkgo bring this area to life with enviable autumn vibes.

If you do happen to visit Okutama and feel like spicing things up, join this wasabi farm tour!

Hakone is our first spot on the list that isn’t actually in Tokyo, but you can get there within a couple of hours from Tokyo and it’s perhaps one of the most beautiful day trips you can take for fall foliage.

If you take the train from Tokyo Station to Odawara Station and then take a bus to Hakone-Yumoto Station, it will take about 2 hours and cost around ¥2,000. Alternatively, take the direct Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto Station and it will take 1.5 hours.

From there, you’ll want to take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise across Lake Ashi to the base of Owakudani. Here, you can take the Hakone Ropeway up the mountain to help you enjoy fall’s best views from water and air.

Find out more: Mt. Fuji, Shrines, Cruises and… Eggs? 2-Day Hakone Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

Much of Tokyo’s best fall foliage spots are still looking especially resplendent as we head into December, so simply wrap up a little warmer and catch up on any fall viewing locations you’ve missed out on.

Yes! Outside of the occasional typhoon — it is typhoon season, after all — you can expect clear blue skies, gentle breezes and a comfortably warm temperature with a slight chill in the evenings.

Though it’s not quite as busy as Tokyo’s cherry blossom season in Kyoto, fall is another peak season for people traveling to Japan. With a wide variety of autumn-leaf-viewing spots, can you blame them?

However, the best fall foliage in Tokyo often doesn’t appear until November (and even early December), meaning you could delay your trip by a month for better fall sights with fewer people.

There’s no wrong time to visit Tokyo, but most people find themselves drawn to Japan’s capital during spring (March, April and May) and fall (September, October, November). 

These periods see increased crowds and prices, but many believe it’s still worth every second spent in the presence of picturesque cherry blossoms and fiery autumn leaves.