In autumn 2026, several Tokyo gardens open at night with lights and video projections, and others are best walked by day. This guide compares three night events (Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugien and Showa Kinen Park) and two gardens you can walk in the daytime (Tonogayato Garden and Kyu-Furukawa Gardens), with dates, ticket rules and how to get there.
In short
- Night events run from October 29 to December 6, 2026: Showa Kinen Park (October 29 – November 29), Koishikawa Korakuen (November 13 – 24) and Rikugien (November 25 – December 6). The two Bunkyo Ward gardens do not overlap.
- Koishikawa Korakuen and Rikugien close at 17:00 and reopen at 18:00 for night visitors, and a daytime ticket does not cover the night. Night tickets are ¥1,000 in advance (online) or ¥1,200 on the day.
- Rikugien had not announced its advance-ticket sale date or ticket site as of October 5, 2026; check its official news page.
- Koishikawa Korakuen runs a daytime English-language garden guide on Saturdays, and the Showa Kinen Park night-walk page links to a ticket site labeled “ENGLISH”.
Checked with official pages on October 5, 2026.
1. Which garden, which dates, which ticket?
Depends on the garden
At Showa Kinen Park, the ginkgo avenue and the canal need only the normal park entrance fee; the Japanese Garden at night, Koishikawa Korakuen and Rikugien each need a separate evening ticket. The two daytime gardens use the normal entrance fee.
| Garden | Dates and hours | Ticket | Nearest station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koishikawa Korakuen | Nov 13 – 24, 18:00 – 21:00 | Night ticket ¥1,000 / ¥1,200 | Iidabashi, 3 min |
| Rikugien | Nov 25 – Dec 6, 18:00 – 20:30 | Night ticket ¥1,000 / ¥1,200 | Komagome, 7 min |
| Showa Kinen Park | Oct 29 – Nov 29, 16:30 – 20:30 | Entry ¥450; Japanese Garden ticket ¥1,200 | Nishi-Tachikawa, 2 min to the gate |
| Tonogayato Garden | Colors mid-Nov – early Dec, 9:00 – 17:00 | ¥150 | Kokubunji, 2 min |
| Kyu-Furukawa Gardens | Nov 7 – Dec 6, 9:00 – 17:00 | ¥150 | Kaminakazato, 7 min |
Night tickets are sold in advance online and, for the day itself, online or at a window. The Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association publishes the official pages for Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugien, Tonogayato Garden and Kyu-Furukawa Gardens. Showa Kinen Park is a national government park (国営) with its own site.
2. How do I buy a night ticket for Koishikawa Korakuen or Rikugien?
Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
- Choose your night. Koishikawa Korakuen is open November 13 – 24 and Rikugien November 25 – December 6, 2026.
- Buy online before you go. Koishikawa Korakuen’s advance ticket (¥1,000) is on sale from October 1 at 10:00 until November 12 at 23:59, through Seven Ticket, KKday or Asoview!. Rikugien’s advance ticket is ¥1,000 and online only; its sale date had not been announced yet.
- Or buy a same-day ticket. Same-day tickets are ¥1,200, online or at the gate window (Koishikawa Korakuen west gate, 18:00 – 20:00; Rikugien main gate, 18:00 – 19:30). Window sales are cash only, and Koishikawa Korakuen says the number is limited.
- Arrive after the evening reopening. Both gardens close at 17:00 and reopen at 18:00. Rikugien says online ticket holders use a priority lane, and it recommends buying online.
Note
The Park Association’s website has a language menu (English, Chinese, Korean and other languages). The site itself warns that these are machine translations and the content may not be correct, so check dates and prices on the Japanese page if they matter.
It is not stated on the pages we read whether Seven Ticket, KKday or Asoview! offers an English booking screen for the Koishikawa Korakuen event.
3. Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園): November 13 – 24
Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
Koishikawa Korakuen’s night opening, “Enjoying the Light Leaves of Miyama” (深山“光”葉を楽しむ), runs November 13 – 24, 2026, 18:00 – 21:00 (last entry 20:00); you enter only by the west gate and leave by the east gate. A night ticket is needed by everyone from junior high school age up, including Tokyo residents and annual passport holders.
The park lights the Horai-jima island (蓬莱島), the single pine (一つ松) and the Kara-mon gate with its snow-hanging ropes (唐門, 雪吊り). Video projections are shown on the Engetsukyo bridge (円月橋) and the earthen wall (築地塀). A limited-time tea house, Biidoro Chaya (びいどろ茶屋) at Kantoku-tei (涵徳亭), is open 18:00 – 20:30 and sells a set of matcha and a limited-edition sweet; kitchen cars sell snacks in the pine grove. Daytime admission is ¥300 (¥150 for 65 and over), 9:00 – 17:00, and it does not cover the night event.
Tip
For a daytime visit, the garden offers a guided tour in English on Saturdays at 10:30 and 13:30 (July and August are suspended, and tours can be cancelled for weather; ask the service center on the day). Japanese tours run at 11:00 and 14:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and holidays. These are the daytime tours, not the night event.
Rules for the night event: smoking, pets (including pets in a carrier) and picnic sheets are not allowed, and some shops do not accept cashless payment. Waiting times at the entrance are possible when it is crowded. There is no car park.
Getting there: the Toei Oedo Line’s Iidabashi Station (C3 exit) is 3 minutes on foot from the west gate; JR Iidabashi Station’s east exit is 8 minutes. Address: 1-6-6 Koraku, Bunkyo Ward (文京区後楽1-6-6). Google Maps. Phone: 03-3811-3015.
4. Rikugien (六義園): November 25 – December 6
Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
Rikugien’s night viewing, “Autumn Garden Colors at Rikugien” (庭紅葉の六義園 夜間特別観賞), runs November 25 – December 6, 2026, 18:00 – 20:30 (last entry 19:30), and you can enter only with a night ticket. Projection mapping on the old storehouse wall and the bamboo grove is new this year.
The lighting covers the whole Japanese garden, centered on the autumn-leaf area, with several photo spots. Two matcha tea houses (Fukiage Chaya and Shinsen-tei) serve tea with a sweet, and food stalls and kitchen cars stand beside the storehouse. Tickets: advance ¥1,000 (online only), same day ¥1,200 (online or the main-gate window, cash only), ¥500 with a disability handbook, free for elementary school children and under. The number of tickets per day is limited.
From November 1 to December 15, sketching inside the garden is not allowed because of expected crowds. Daytime admission is ¥300 (¥150 for 65 and over), 9:00 – 17:00, and the daytime entrance accepts major credit cards and IC cards. There is no car park.
Getting there: Komagome Station (JR Yamanote Line and Tokyo Metro Namboku Line) is 7 minutes on foot; Sengoku Station on the Toei Mita Line is 10 minutes. Address: 6-16-3 Honkomagome, Bunkyo Ward (文京区本駒込6-16-3). Google Maps. Phone: 03-3941-2222.
5. Showa Kinen Park (国営昭和記念公園): October 29 – November 29
National government park
Showa Kinen Park’s “Autumn Night Walk 2026” (秋の夜散歩2026) lights up the park from October 29 to November 29, 16:30 – 20:30 (last entry 20:30, closing 21:00), with night entry only through the Nishi-Tachikawa gate and the Tachikawa gate. The park is in Tachikawa City.
There are three venues: the Katarai ginkgo avenue (98 ginkgo trees, 300 m), the Japanese Garden (about 300 maple trees) and the Canal (106 ginkgo trees, 150 m). The ginkgo avenue and the canal need only the park entrance fee: ¥450 for adults, ¥210 for ages 65 and over, free for junior high school students and under. For the Japanese Garden at night you also need a Japanese Garden Lighting Ticket: ¥1,200 in advance (¥600 for elementary and junior high students) or ¥1,300 at the window (¥700). On October 29 and 30, the garden needs only the park entrance fee.
Advance tickets go on sale one week before your visit date on a dedicated reservation site; the park’s page links to it with a button labeled “ENGLISH／中文繁体／中文簡体／한국어”. The window sells tickets at Komorebi no Ie (こもれびの家), 16:00 – 20:00, cash only, and does not sell them if the web quota has sold out. If you arrive in the daytime, leave the Japanese Garden by 16:00 and wait for the evening reopening.
Important
The lights run in the rain, and the park gives no refund because of rain. You can cancel an online ticket without a fee until the day before your visit date; fees start from the visit date itself. If severe weather or a disaster makes operation difficult, the park may cancel the event and refund.
Getting there: JR Ome Line’s Nishi-Tachikawa Station is 2 minutes on foot from the Nishi-Tachikawa gate, the one the park recommends for train visitors. The Japanese Garden is about 1,600 m from the Nishi-Tachikawa entrance, and the park suggests using its in-park buses. A night bus runs between the Viewing Terrace (眺めのテラス) stop and the Japanese Garden stop, first departure 17:30 and last 20:30, ¥400 one way for adults, cashless only. If you drive, you must use the Nishi-Tachikawa or Tachikawa car parks at night (¥900 for a standard car); the park asks visitors to use public transport during busy periods. Pets are not allowed in the Japanese Garden. Address: 3173 Midoricho, Tachikawa City (東京都立川市緑町3173). Google Maps. Phone: 042-528-1751.
6. Where can I see autumn leaves in the daytime?
Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
Tonogayato Garden (殿ヶ谷戸庭園) in Kokubunji City is at its best from mid-November to early December, when about 200 Iroha maple trees turn color. It is open 9:00 – 17:00 (last entry 16:30), and entry is ¥150 (¥70 for 65 and over). Autumn events: paper-cutting performance on November 3 (11:30 and 13:30), a food truck on November 20 – 23, and a classical concert for violin and cello on Saturday, December 5 (11:30 and 14:00). The garden accepts credit cards, IC cards and QR payments (Alipay, WeChat Pay, PayPay and others) at the entrance. Kokubunji Station’s south exit is 2 minutes on foot. There is no car park, and the garden asks drivers not to stop even briefly on the busy road outside. Address: 2-16 Minamicho, Kokubunji City (国分寺市南町2-16). Google Maps. Phone: 042-324-7991.
Kyu-Furukawa Gardens (旧古河庭園) in Kita Ward holds “Autumn Leaves and Roses, Japanese and Western Autumn” from November 7 to December 6, 2026, when autumn roses and autumn leaves can be seen together. It is open 9:00 – 17:00 (last entry 16:30), and entry is ¥150 (¥70 for 65 and over); the Western-style mansion needs a separate ticket. On Saturday, November 28 (12:00 and 15:00, about 30 minutes each, canceled in rain), a koto and pan flute concert on the lawn is free with entry. A rose-scent workshop on November 24 costs ¥4,400, takes about 120 minutes, has 20 places per session and requires a prior application (lottery if too many apply); the fee is paid in cash on the day, on top of admission, and applications run from November 1 at 10:00 to November 15 at 17:00 through a form on the garden’s official page. Kaminakazato Station (JR Keihin-Tohoku Line) and Nishigahara Station (Tokyo Metro Namboku Line) are each 7 minutes on foot; Komagome Station is 12 minutes. There is no car park. Address: 1-27-39 Nishigahara, Kita Ward (北区西ヶ原1-27-39). Google Maps. Phone: 03-3910-0394.
7. How do I choose?
- Want lights and video projections: Koishikawa Korakuen (November 13 – 24) or Rikugien (November 25 – December 6). Their dates do not overlap, so you can visit both.
- Want golden ginkgo trees and a Japanese garden together: Showa Kinen Park, which starts first (October 29).
- Prefer daytime walking: Tonogayato Garden (2 minutes from Kokubunji Station) or Kyu-Furukawa Gardens (autumn roses and leaves).
- Visiting several Tokyo Metropolitan gardens: the nine-garden Autumn Leaves Stamp Rally runs October 10 – December 6, 2026 and includes Koishikawa Korakuen, Rikugien, Kyu-Furukawa and Tonogayato; five stamps earn a coupon that lowers the 2027 garden calendar from ¥500 to ¥300.
- Driving: only Showa Kinen Park has night parking; the other four gardens have no car park.
Common questions
Is the night event held in the rain?
Showa Kinen Park holds it in the rain and gives no rain refund. For Koishikawa Korakuen and Rikugien, the pages we read do not state a rain policy; check the official page on the day.
Do children need a ticket?
At Rikugien’s night viewing, elementary school children and under are free. At Koishikawa Korakuen, night tickets are needed from junior high school age. At Showa Kinen Park, the park entrance is free for junior high school students and under, the Japanese Garden ticket is ¥600 for elementary and junior high students, and preschool children do not need one.
Can I bring a dog?
Koishikawa Korakuen does not allow pets, including pets in a carrier, during the night event. Showa Kinen Park does not allow pets in the Japanese Garden.
Sources (checked October 2026)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association: Koishikawa Korakuen night opening 2026 and Koishikawa Korakuen: park information
- Rikugien: night viewing (notice of September 3, 2026) and Rikugien: park information
- Showa Kinen Park: Autumn Night Walk 2026
- Tonogayato Garden: park information and Tokyo Metropolitan Government press release of September 30, 2026
- Kyu-Furukawa Gardens: autumn event notice (September 16, 2026) and park information
- Nine Metropolitan Gardens Autumn Leaves Stamp Rally and Park Association: language menu
