Autumn is a magical time in Japan. The leaves start to wither, earlier in the countryside and in northern Japan, and at about late-November to early-December in Tokyo’s open areas like Showa Kinen Park. Called koyo, Japan’s parks and forests turn into a sea of red, yellow and brown especially when seen with a backdrop of maple and gingko trees. Autumn is widely considered to be the favorite season of most Japanese, and it was with much luck that my visit to Tokyo last week fell right smack in this season.
Editor’s Note: Here are more autumn leaves viewing spots in Tokyo.
With very little time, I shortlisted a few nice autumn viewing spots. Places such as Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, the Rikugien in Bunkyo Ward as well as Shinjuku’s Gyoen are considered to be some of the best autumn viewing spots in Tokyo. Since I only had time to visit one or two places, I eventually decided on Gingko Avenue or Icho Namiki in Aoyama and Showa Memorial Park (Showa Kinen Koen) in Tachikawa in western Tokyo.
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