Autumn is on its way, and in Japan that means it’s time for koyo (紅葉), the ancient tradition of fall foliage viewing! Every year crowds from around the country and overseas flock to Japan’s most beautiful fall foliage spots to see the seasons change, and watch the leaves shift from green to red and yellow. With amazing weather and colorful scenery, autumn is a great time to explore Japan, and in Tokyo, locals love to stroll through curtains of falling golden ginkgo leaves along Meiji Jingu Gaien’s Ginkgo Avenue.

The Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue

While Japan as a whole loves the mosaic of oranges and reds that appear each fall, Tokyo is a special city, and it has some special spots to appreciate fall leaves – like the bright golden ginkgos of Jingu Gaien! Meiji Jingu Gaien is a spacious park about halfway between Tokyo’s imperial palace and the “Meiji Jingu” (明治神宮) in Shibuya, which is usually called the Meiji Shrine in English. Most of the year the park is known for its many facilities conveniently located in central Tokyo (tennis courts, baseball diamonds, skating rinks, and lots of green space), but when autumn rolls around, visitors arrive for a different reason.

Cutting right through the park is an avenue lined with dozens of ginkgo trees, and when the weather starts to cool, the green, fan-shaped leaves change color and form a golden canopy overhead.

When the weather’s nice, the golden ginkgo leaves are like drops of sunshine, gently drifting to the ground. As the days go by, the leaves create a warm yellow carpet underfoot, too!

The Meiji Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Festival

To celebrate the park’s gorgeous ginkgos, every year a festival is held towards the end of fall, when the yellow leaves are at their peak. Official dates aren’t necessarily released every time, but the Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Festival Icho Matsuri (神宮外苑いちょう祭り) is usually planned for the second half of November.

Not only is the festival a chance to enjoy the trees during the peak of the season, but it’s also a place to sample food from all over Japan. Vendors set up next to the rows of trees for just a couple of weeks to cater to festival-goers, offering all kinds of Japanese cuisine – a little something for everyone.

What to Do Nearby in Tokyo

Because Jingu Gaien is smack dab in the middle of Tokyo, it’s probably on the way to (or right nearby) anything else you want to see in the city! It’s a great place to stop by for an hour, before continuing your tour of Tokyo. But if you need some help filling out your trip to the area, there’s plenty to see and do within just a few minutes walk of the trees!

If you want to see the park’s namesake, Meiji Jingu Shrine, just head west. You can wander your way through the shrine’s quiet pebble-paved paths and enjoy the small urban forest, see the shrine’s grand halls, and then explore one of the busy neighborhoods nearby. Haraujuku, Yoyogi, and Omotesando are all right next door! Once you’re at the shrine, even Shibuya and all of its famous spots (including shopping icons like the mall Shibuya 109) isn’t a difficult walk either.

Or, you can choose to head southeast instead, passing through the elegantly sculpted Tokyo Midtown Garden and before you stop in at 21 21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery on your way to eating some giant udon in Roppongi.

When fall comes, embracing the koyo season is one of the best ways to spend time in Japan, but Tokyo is full of all kinds of things to do and see year-round – let us know about your experiences in Japan and share your pictures on twitter, instagram, and facebook!