As I talked about in my last post, seeing Japan in the autumn is an experience not to be missed. Indeed, many tourists as well as locals, plan a “kouyou” trip for this precise reason, which can mean that the prime sightseeing destinations at this time of the year can become overcrowded.
Planning ahead and getting a headstart before the crowds arrive is key here, and weekends can become even more hectic, with the traffic jams reaching gridlock. But if you find yourself in Tokyo or any other big city during the kouyou season, a trip out of town is not always necessary to catch a glimpse of the changing colours. In fact, a simple stroll to the nearest park, which often has a good range of trees, can be enough.
In Tokyo, the Inokashira Koen and the Hibiya Koen are good choices. The Inokashira Koen was the first park opened to the public in 1917, and bears the same name as the train station it lies adjacent to. The Hibiya Koen, on the other hand, near the Kasumigaseki subway station, is more western in style, posessing a wide range of trees whose colours change during the kouyou. Other places worth visiting is the Jingu Gaien Street near the Meiji Kaigakan art museum, the Rikugien, and the the Hama-Rikyu garden.
[tags]Tkyo, Kouyou, Autumn Tokyo, Tokyo travel[/tags]