Top 10 Places to See Autumn Colors

Sankeien Garden

Autumn is a great time of year to visit Japan since it’s one of the best places to see autumn foliage in the world. Japan is blessed with a beautifully distinct four seasons. And of the four seasons, perhaps the most popular season to visit Japan is autumn with truly beautiful red and gold colored leaves. Discover the top 10 places to see autumn colors in Yokohama, just 30 min. away from Tokyo.

2017 Autumn Foliage Forecast in Yokohama

End of November to mid-December

1. Sankeien Garden

The vast traditional Japanese garden covering over 175,000 sqm. with historical buildings across Japan. During the autumn season, gingko and maple trees in the garden turn their colors into bright yellow and vibrant red. The area around Choshukaku tea house -built especially for viewing autumn leaves- is tinted with the deep red of maple leaves, creating a world where beautiful reds and golds can be enjoyed within the peaceful quiet of these carefully designed gardens.

SANKEIEN GARDEN
Address 58-1, Honmoku Sannotani, Naka-ku, Yokohama
Area Honmoku/Motomachi/Yamate
Closest Railway Station From Negishi Station: JR Keihin Tohoku Negishi Line: Get on the municipal bus from bus stop No.1, take Route No.58,99 or 101 to bus station Honmoku, 10 min. walk to the Garden
From Yokohama Station: Get on the municipal bus from the bus stop No.2, take Route No.8 or 148 to bus station Sankeien Iriguchi, 5 min. walk to the Garden
TEL 045-621-0634
Hours 9:00-17:00 (Last entry 16:30)
Admission 500 yen (Junior high school student or above)
200 yen (Elementary School Student)
URL http://www.sankeien.or.jp/en-about/

2. Yamashita Park Avenue

Located adjacent to Yamashita Park, Yokohama’s most famous park, Yamashita Park Avenue is bustling street lined by Yokohama’s most popular sightseeing sights, including Yamashita Park on the ocean side and Yokohama Marine Tower and Chinatown inland . Strolling along Yamashita Park Avenue is a special treat during the autumn season, when the paths are covering in a golden “carpet of ginkgo leaves”. Porin Bridge stretching from Yamashita Park to the Yokohama Doll Museum and the areas around the Hotel New Grand are highly recommended sites for taking photographs.

YAMASHITA PARK
Address 279, Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama
Area Chinatown/Kannai/Yamashita Park
Closest Railway Station Kannai Station: JR Negishi Line
Motomachi-Chukagai Station: Minato Mirai Line

3. Nihon Odori Avenue

Designed by R. H. Brunton and completed around 1870, Nihon Odori Avenue is Japan’s first western-style road. The avenue is lined with stately historical buildings such as the Kanagawa Prefectural Government’s Office and Yokohama Archives of History, and open-air cafes dotting the sidewalk are popular spots for resting and viewing the beautifully colored ginkgo leaves. The breathtaking contrast of stately buildings and colorful autumn leaves make this the perfect spot for sketching or photography.

NIHON ODORI
Address Nihon Odori, Naka-ku, Yokohama
Area Chinatown/Kannai/Yamashita Park
Closest Railway Station Kannai Station: JR Negishi Line
Nihon Odori Station: Minato Mirai Line

4. Kanazawa Natural Park/Zoological Garden

Exhibiting approximately 40 species of rare herbivorous animals, this zoological park also provides animal guides and holds “animal-feeding” and other mini-events on a daily basis. More than 400 trees in the park -including ginkgo, maple, and Chinese tallow trees- change color from mid-October through until early December, enabling visitors to enjoy a relatively long autumn leaves viewing season.

KANAZAWA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS (PARK)
Address 5-15-1, Kamariyahigashi, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama
Area Southern Yokohama
Closest Railway Station Kanazawa-Bunko Station: Keihin Kyuko Line
TEL 045-783-9100
Hours 9:30-16:30（Last Entry 16:00）
Admission (Zoo) Adult: 500 yen / High school student: 300 yen / Elementary school student / Junior high school student: 200 yen
(Park) Free Admission
URL http://www2.kanazawa-zoo.org/english/

5. Kodomonokuni (Children’s Land)

Kodomonokuni

The 250 acre park houses a farm with animals and a plaza where visitors can enjoy barbecue. Other attractions include a 110 meter long slide, a mini steam locomotive, and an artificial river amongst other facilities. From the end of summer, the leaves of the trees throughout Kodomonokuni gradually take on their vibrant autumn colors, beginning with the yellow leaves of Katsura trees, followed by the yellow ginkgo and Japanese zelkova leaves in late October, bright red maple and deep orange Chinese pistachio in November, and yellow-orange Metasequoia and groves of yellow-orange Sawtook oak and orange-red Konara oak in December.

KODOMONOKUNI (Children’s Land)
Address 700, Nara-cho, Aoba-ku Yokohama
Area Northern Yokohama
Closest Railway Station Kodomonokuni Station: Tokyu Kodomonokuni Line
TEL 045-961-2111
Hours 9:30am to 4:30pm *Jul.,Aug. 9:30am to 5pm
Admission 600 yen (Adults), 200 yen (Jr.High School and Elementary School Students), 100 yen(aged 3 to 5)
URL http://www.kodomonokuni.org/english/

6. Mitsuike Park

Located approximately 1.8 km northwest of Tsurumi Station, Mitsuike Park comprises three ponds. The name of “Mitsuike” came from them. It is enclosed in an abundant forest. When autumn arrives, the leaves of the Japanese maple and ginkgo trees begin to change colors, starting with tree groves, and the park is a well-known spot for viewing of the autumn leaves. Visitors can also enjoy the enchanting cosmos, cockscomb, great burnet, and other autumn flowers blooming in planters arranged around the Flower Plaza.

MITSUIKE PARK
Address 1-1 Mitsuike Park, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama
Area Northern Yokohama
Closest Railway Station
and Bus Stop Mitsuike-Koen Kitamon (Municipal Bus Route 6 or 104) from Shin-Yokohama Station(JR)
Mitsuike-Koen Kitamon (Municipal Bus Route 6, 67, or 104) from Tsurumi Station (JR)
TEL 045-581-0287
URL http://www.kanagawaparks.com/mitsuike/

7. Sankeien Garden

Sankeien Garden

Located on a hilltop in a quiet residential neighborhood, Nogeyama Park is a great place to escape the crowds and enjoy the peaceful greenery and wide open spaces. Opened in 1951, Nogeyama was the first zoo to be opened in Yokohama. Covering an area of 8 acres, Nogeyama is the only centrally located zoo within Yokohama, making it very convenient and easy to access. More importantly, it is free!

NOGEYAMA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS (PARK)
Address 63-10, Oimatsu-cho,Nishi-ku Yokohama
Area Minato Mirai 21/Sakuragicho
Closest Railway Station Hinodecho Station: Keihin Kyuko Line/Sakuragicho Station: JR Keihin Tohoku Negishi Line / Municipal Subway Line
Hours 9:30am to 4:30pm (Last admission 4:00pm)
Closed on Mondays (open if holiday, except May & Oct.), year end & new year holidays
Admission Free
URL http://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/zoo/nogeyama/

8. Negishi Forest Park

Negishi Forest Park is something of an oasis hidden in an urban neighborhood setting. Known in Japanese as ‘Negishi Shinrin Koen’, this is one of the largest parks in Yokohama with a surface area covering over 1800 square meters. With its many trees, including Japanese zelkova and ginkgo trees, encircling gently undulating open grassed areas, Negishi Forest Park is the perfect place to enjoy the beautiful autumn scenery.

NEGISHI FOREST PARK
Address 1-2, Negishidai, Naka-ku, Yokohama
Area Honmoku/Motomachi/Yamate
Closest Railway Station Negishi Station / Yamate Station: JR Keihin Tohoku Negishi Line

9. Shomyoji Temple

With its vermilion‐lacquered arched bridge and flat bridge, the temple’s Jodo-style garden is breathtakingly beautiful. The area around the Agigaike Pond is dotted with grandfather trees that have stood here for more than 800 years, creating a landscape that can be enjoyed in every season. During the autumn season, these grand old trees transform as one into a golden sea of leaves.
SHOMYOJI TEMPLE
Address 212-1, Kanazawa-cho, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama
Area Southern Yokohama
Closest Railway Station Kanazawa-Bunko Station: Keihin Kyuko Line/Uminokoen-shibaguchi Station or Uminokoen-minamiguchi Station: Sea Side Line

10. Yokohama Park (Yokohama Stadium)

 Yokohama Par

Yokohama Park is Yokohama’s second-oldest park after Yamashita Park. With the completion of Yokohama Stadium in 1978, Japanese-style gardens were constructed along with ponds, fountains, and multi-purpose open spaces. Although the park is famous for its spring tulips, during the autumn season the trees around the waterways and ponds in the Japanese-style garden are brightly painted in reds, yellows, and oranges, making the park a popular site for viewing autumn leaves.
YOKOHAMA PARK (Yokohama Stadium)
Address Yokohamakouen, Naka-ku, Yokohama
Area Chinatown/Kannai/Yamashita Park
Closest Railway Station Kannai Station: JR Negishi Line/Nihon-Odori Station: Minato Mirai Line