Top 5 Autumn Colour Spots in Tokyo and Kanto

Tokyo has an almost endless number of spots for viewing autumn leaves, from quiet neighbourhood parks to large Japanese gardens. Even after living in the country for over 5 years I am still coming across new spots, and hope to find even more this year. Plus it’s not just central Tokyo, as the mountains in west Tokyo and nearby Saitama have a large number of easy to access spots.

Here are my top 5 spots in and around Tokyo. 

Mount Takao 

Mount Takao is one of the most well known mountains near central Tokyo, and is the best mountain to go for autumn leaves. This mountain, as well as many of the surrounding ones, is covered in golden and red leaves. I had a great time hiking up to the top, then coming halfway down to enjoy a beer and all-you-can-eat food in the beer garden. There is a large selection of routes, so it’s good for any age or type of hiker. There is also a cable car that can take visitors half way up.

Access: Take the Keio line to Takaoguchi station.
Best Time: November
Admission: FREE

Mount Takao

Takahata-Fudoson Temple 

While this place seems to be reasonably well known to local tourists, it didn’t have any foreign tourists. The whole complex, with its stunning pagoda surrounded by autumn trees and hill forest covered in golden and red leaves, is well worth the journey. There are also some great shops for souvenirs, stalls selling traditional Japanese sweets such as Taiyaki and lots of little temple buildings and gardens to explore.

Address: 733 Takahata, Hino-shi, Tokyo 191-0031
Best Time: November to early December
Admission: FREE

Takahata Fudoson Temple

Inokashira Park 

A great place to see how the Japanese crowds like to enjoy autumn colours. This famous park gets full of all kinds of performers, dancers and artists, as well as stalls trying to sell all kinds of trendy souvenirs. Inokashira Park is therefore a great place to see beautiful red and golden leaves in a casual, but fun atmosphere.

Address: Kichijoji, Tokyo
Best Time: November to early December
Admission: FREE

Showa Kinen Park 

This former military base was turned into a massive park during the boom years, and the amount of money really shows. I have been here many times, both for autumn leaves and cherry blossoms, and always run out of time! It really is one of the biggest parks I have ever been to, but could better be described as a ‘park of parks’. There is a traditional Japanese garden, a few forests, modern gardens and much more. All these sections, as well as the outside promenade, are filled with stunning autumn colours.

Address: 3173 Midoricho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0014
Best Time: November to early December
Admission: Adults 410 yen, Children 80 yen

Showa Kinen Park

Heirin Temple 

This place really took me my surprise! This temple is not well known outside Japan, but it should be. Get away from the tourist buses and explore a real temple during the autumn colour season at Heirin Temple. There are lots of little temple buildings and mini Japanese gardens, plus a large forest to enjoy. All the areas are full of golden and red leaves, with different varieties of trees, so you will have a good chance of seeing something good.

Address: 3 Chome-1-1 Nobitome, Niiza, Saitama 352-0011
Best Time: November to early December
Admission: FREE

Heirin Temple

Matthew Baxter 

Matthew is a blogger and website designer who has lived and travelled in Japan for over 5 years. He writes the Japan budget travel guide Cheapo Japan, a website dedicated to showing tourists how to enjoy Japan without burning all their money away. Please check out http://www.cheapojapan.com/ for lots of super useful tips and guides.

Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa Tokyo

Asakusa is probably the most popular place in Tokyo for foreign and Japanese tourists alike. Located between the other tourist hotspots of Akihabara and Tokyo Skytree, Asakusa is a great place to visit for its temples, shrines and traditional shopping streets.

Every year in late May the Sanja Matsuri (Three Shrine Festival) is held, and is regarded as one of the top 3 Shinto festivals in Japan. The festival celebrates the 3 founders of Senso-ji , the well-known temple in Asakusa. Participants carry mikoshi (little portable shrines) around Asakusa, while they chant, sing and play instruments.

Tokyo Christmas Illuminations

Tokyo continues to be one of the best places in the world for Christmas illuminations. There’s all sorts, from rather tacky, but cute to super stylish. Here are some of my favourites:

Tama Center 

Tama Center (多摩センター) is home to Sanrio Puroland, Hello Kitty’s theme park. It seems like this was created as a new city centre outside central Tokyo, and the size of the Christmas illuminations reflect this. The long shopping promenade was lined with illuminations as early as mid November!

Tokyo Midtown 

For some really posh Christmas illuminations, head to Tokyo Midtown (東京ミッドタウン) in Roppongi (六本木). These super stylish illuminations can be found at the garden in the back of this high class shopping centre.

Ginza 

Another Christmas illuminations highlight in Tokyo is Ginza (銀座), a famous shopping street with all the top luxury brands. There seems to be a little competition going on between some brands as to who has the best Christmas illuminations on their store building.

Today's guest post is from Tokyo Blogger Matthew Baxter.

Matthew is a blogger, game developer and writer living in Tokyo, Japan. He has lived cheaply in Japan for over 5 years, and writes for Cheapo Japan, a travel guide dedicated to budget travel in Japan. You can read more of his work at www.cheapojapan.com

Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games

Tokyo has been chosen to host the 2020 Olympic Games. Members of the Olympic International Committee (IOC) chose Tokyo over Istanbul and Madrid at a meeting in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The final result was 60 votes for Tokyo against 36 for Istanbul in the final round.

Tokyo was seen as the front-runner after finishing third in its bid for the 2016 Games, which was won by Rio de Janeiro. Tokyo campaigned with the message “The Olympics will be safe in our hands”.

Mt Mitake

Image by Philip Belfer

Mt Mitake also called Mitake-san (御岳山) is a great day trip from Tokyo that you will not find in most travel guides. It’s the prefect escape from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo and a place to appreciate some beautiful nature and views. At this time of the year it is spectacular with the beautiful coloured leaves of autumn in Japan.

Mt Mitake is located in Chichibu Tama National Park, which is in the western most part of Tokyo prefecture. The National Park covers some 1250 square kilometres of forested mountains. The trip to Mt Mitake is around an hour and a half by local train from downtown Tokyo. Buses run from Mitake Station to the Mt Mitake cable car terminus which is a 10 minute journey and costs 270 yen.

There are several ways to climb the mountain. If you have time on your hands then you can attempt to hike to the top. Alternatively, if time is a premium then you can take the cable car from the foot of the mountain, which is a 15 minute journey, and takes you close to the summit of Mt Mitake. The cable car is 570 yen one way and 1090 yen return. From the upper station, it’s about a 20-30 minute walk to the summit which is at 929m. It is a pleasant walk with stunning mountain forests and foliage. You will also pass by a small village with traditional Japanese style inns and souvenir shops.

The summit contains the beautiful Mitake Jinja Shrine, which is said to date back some 1200 years. The area around the shrine offers great views of the surrounding mountains and the Kanto plain. On a clear day from the summit you can see the skyscrapers of Shinjuku in downtown Tokyo.

Looking for a place to see the beautiful autumn leaves? Check out Mt Mitake near Tokyo

Mitake Jinja Shrine

Visit Japan Travel Advice for more information and details about the travel destinations in Japan

Gaijin in Tokyo, Unite!

Tokyo is an endlessly fascinating city for tourists from all over the world. Now that Japan is steadily recovering from 2011’s devastating natural disaster, the number of visitors to the country has been on the rise again. The vast majority of travelers pay the bustling capital at least a brief visit. However, what seems fascinating and exciting to the casual visitor can quickly become confusing for those who decide to settle in Tokyo.

In 2010, over 420,000 foreign residents lived in the vast metropolitan area of Tokyo. Most new arrivals must have asked themselves the same questions over and over again: In which part of the city should I start looking for an apartment? Where can I send my kids to school? Do doctors in Japan speak English? Or just, how can I meet other gaijin? Here’s where communities such as InterNations come in – to help foreigners in Tokyo find answers to their enquiries.

The Munich-based start-up company was established in autumn 2007 as a virtual platform for expats and all kinds of “global minds” from around the world. Since its humble beginnings, it has changed into the largest social network for expatriates worldwide. The local InterNations communities in 350 international cities are now housing nearly 650,000 member’s altogether – around 3,250 among them live in the Tokyo area. Originally, InterNations was supposed to provide website content (like their short guide to Tokyo) and to connect its member base only online. However, they turned out to show a great demand for face-to-face meet-ups away from the computer screen and the smartphone display. Most communities therefore have their own “Ambassador” team – between one or three volunteers from local expat circles, who host get-togethers on a regular basis.

The current InterNations Ambassadors in Tokyo are three expatriates from the capital’s US American community, who have lived in Japan for up to 17 years. Their professional and practical experience can help newly arrived overseas residents to get their bearings. But even if you have been living in Japan for a while, InterNations can get you in touch with new, interesting folks from all over the globe.

There are monthly expat events in favourite gaijin hangouts, such as Biervana in Akasaka, Hobgoblin in Roppongi, and What the Dickens in Shibuya. But if a nice chat over a glass of beer isn’t quite your idea of a good time, the recently introduced InterNations Activities Groups offer alternative meetings on a smaller scale. They focus on more specialized topics, like professional networking to make business contacts in Japan, dining out in Tokyo’s many restaurants, or attending photography and arts exhibitions. If you are an expatriate living in the Tokyo metropolitan area and want to meet more people to share your hobby with, why not launch a new InterNations group yourself?

The community is also looking for committed expats who’d like to get the members in the Kansai area (Kobe, Nagoya, Osaka) together to launch local events there as well.

Tokyo Whiskey Bars

Seen all the main sights in Tokyo and want something new to experience. How about visiting one of Tokyo’s famous Whiskey Bars.

Scotland may be the home of Whiskey, but there is no better place on the planet to sample this liquid of the gods than Tokyo. Tokyo’s whiskey culture is at another level with dozens of small bars offering thousands of top quality whiskies. The Japanese have a broad taste in Scotch, American Bourbons and locally produced whiskey.

There are a multitude of bars in Tokyo. Some are tiny, dark basements others more stylish places with bow-tied experts mixing drinks.

The following are some of Tokyo’s highly recommend whiskey bars

10 Things to do on a Budget in Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan’s modern capital is one of the most exciting places on the planet, but this doesn’t mean a holiday to this amazing destination has to break the bank. Like most places in the world, a trip to Tokyo can be done either in luxury or on a shoestring budget. I’ve been lucky to have been able to travel around most of Japan in my ten years of living there and overall I have found Japan to be an incredibly affordable holiday destination.

If you are planning a trip to the land of the rising sun, be sure to check out these things to do in Tokyo, for people travelling on a budget!

Getting to Tokyo from Narita Airport

There are a few options available for you to get to Tokyo from Narita Airport and these include taxi, bus and trains.

Taxis are the most expensive means with a taxi to downtown Tokyo costing between 20,000 yen – 30,000 yen depending on the final destination and traffic.

Bus is a cheaper option at around 3,000 yen. A regular limousine bus service (www.limousinebus.co.jp) runs between Narita and Tokyo City Air Terminal in central Tokyo, to Tokyo and Shinjuku stations. They also run to most major hotels in Tokyo. Tickets can be purchased at the airport after clearing immigration and customs. The buses leave every 20 minutes and usually take 2 to 3 hours to arrive at central hotels.

Trains are usually the quickest and cheapest way to reach Tokyo. There are two train alternatives into Tokyo: Japan Railways (JR) Narita Express (www.jreast.co.jp) and the Keisei Skyliner (www.keisei.co.jp) they are twice as fast as taxi or bus, but not as convenient as you must find your own way around the city once at a station.

The Narita Express has more connections stopping at JR stations in Chiba, Tokyo (station), Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Yokohama. It costs around 3,000 yen for a regular ticket. Tickets can be bought in advance or at the station.

The Keisei Skyliner stops at just Ueno Station and nearby Nippori. Tickets cost around 2,000 yen and can also be bought in advance or at the station. 

Check out my Tokyo post to discover what you can see and do in Tokyo

These are some great resources to help you explore Tokyo

Visiting The Tokyo Skytree

The new Tokyo Skytree offers unsurpassed views of Tokyo and is a must see on your next visit to the city. The Skytree opening last month was eagerly awaited and it has already gone on to become one of the biggest attractions in Japan. Tokyo is a city awash with modern skyscrapers, but they are all eclipsed by the Skytree, which at 634 meters dominates the city skyline.

The Skytree is the world’s tallest free standing tower and has two public observatories at 350 meters and 450 meters offering 360 degree views of the city. On a clear day you can see everything including the beautiful Mount Fuji.

Tokyo Skytree

Tokyo Skytree opened in Tokyo today and the city’s newest landmark is set to become an everlasting symbol of Tokyo. What is the Tokyo Skytree? It is a broadcasting, restaurant and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Tokyo, near Asakusa, which is a major tourist area.


A few facts about Tokyo Skytree:

Christmas in Japan

image from bobby stokes

Christmas in Japan is traditionally celebrated with KFC fried chicken and a fancy Christmas cake. The cake usually consists of a sponge cake covered in whipped cream and topped with strawberries. Christmas is not a national holiday in Japan, and unfortunately is just a regular working day if it falls on a week day. The retail stores and shopping malls scattered all around Japan have been the most enthusiastic about Christmas, with large Christmas trees, Santa Clauses and seasonal decorations out in force several weeks or months in advance. Christmas Eve has traditionally been a time for couples to go out on a romantic dinner date and restaurants and hotels are usually fully booked out during this time.

Picture of the Week Halloween in Japan 2011

Halloween begins at the beginning of September in Japan with places putting up Halloween decorations in September through to October. The big theme parks go full out and offer fantastic Halloween events during this time.

Tokyo Disneyland has Disney’s Halloween from September 4th to October 31st featuring parades, Halloween decorations and during Halloween, you can visit Tokyo Disneyland dressed in Disney character costumes!

Picture of the Week Halloween in Japan

Halloween in Japan has started gaining in popularity with more and more cities, towns, shopping centers and theme parks displaying colourful Halloween decorations and having fun events. Like most things in Japan, Halloween starts quite early and places will start with the decorations in September through to October.

One of the fun things I enjoy around this time of year in Japan is the Halloween special edition of Japanese treats and snacks. This includes such things as Halloween Pumpkin Kit Kat to Koala no March Halloween.

Song of the Week Flying Get (フライングゲット) by AKB48

This week’s number one single on the Japanese Jpop Oricon charts is Flying Get (フライングゲット) by AKB48.

AKB48 is a Japanese idol girl group created and produced by Yasushi Akimoto. AKB48 are one of the most popular groups in Japan and have achieved the feat of having their last 8 singles top the Jpop Oricon chart.

AKB48 was formed in 2005 and is named after Akihabara, the famous electronic area in Tokyo, where the groups own theatre is located on the 8th floor of a Don Quijote Store. The idea behind the group was to create a theatre based idol group, whose fans could see the girls perform live on a daily basis. AKB48 still performs at the theatre every day, but tickets to the event are hard to come by due to the great demand of fans.

Rikugien Garden Tokyo

Rikugien Garden (六義園) is one of Tokyo’s most beautiful and a rare place in Tokyo where you can escape one of the loudest cities in the world. By some measurements, Tokyo is the largest urban area on Earth but in the middle of it is a garden modelled on poetic principles – the words and images of 17th century haiku master, Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu. Inside the garden, a Zen calm prevails in the shadow of neon signs and skyscrapers.

Shopping in Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the best places in the world to go shopping. Tokyo offers everything for the keen shopper ranging from flea markets to high-end department stores. Most of the shopping hotspots in Tokyo are accessible via the Japan Rail (JR) Yamanote Line with a one-day JR train pass for 730 yen (about $9).

The following are the best spots in Tokyo for shopping.

Shinjuku – around Shinjuku station are lots of major discount camera stores and music shops. Shinjuku also has most of the major big department stores on Shinjuku Dori (avenue). One of the best is Takashimaya department store and food hall. Tokyu Hands is an eight level craft store and Uniqlo is a great store for really cheap, high quality, basic clothing.

Harajuku - home to Japanese street fashion. Harajuku Station and Takeshita Dori have many shops that cater to teen fashion and Japanese street fashion. For cheap knick-knacks, souvenirs and bargain gifts check out Daiso in Harajuku, which is one of the famous 100 Yen Shops where nothing costs more than 100 yen ($1.25) plus 5 yen tax. The Daiso in Harajuku is one of the biggest and best in Japan.

Shibuya - has a little bit of everything. Tokyu Hands is a must visit as it is the complete do-it-yourself department store as well as Parco and Shibuya 109 the 10 level fashion emporium.

Akihabara – known as electric city this is where dozens of stores sell everything electronic. You will find dozens of mainly duty free stores selling computers, cameras and TVs. The Yodobashi Akiba megastore houses nine floors of electronics.

Ginza – home to exclusive department stores, galleries and coffee shops. This is where some of the best high-end shopping can be done or like me some great window shopping. At the Ginza intersection is Wako, Japan’s most exclusive department store, and Mitsukoshi, known as the Harrods of Tokyo.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Bid

Tokyo on Saturday formally announced its bid to host the 2020 Olympics. Japan’s Olympic Committee sees the bid as a symbol of Japan’s determination to recover from the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo, which hosted Asia’s first Olympics in 1964, lost out to Rio de Janeiro in the race to host the 2016 Olympics. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics was where Japan was able to show the world how much Japan had recovered from the disaster of the second World War. The Olympic Committee wants to make the 2020 games a similar symbol of recovery from the major disasters Japan has recently suffered.

What do you think? Is this games bid a vital component to Japan road to recovery?

The Real Ninja, Amazing Facts about the Ninja

Virtual Dinner in Tokyo’s A.R.T Gallery

Australian artist SHAN is hosting a virtual dinner party in Tokyo’s A.R.T Gallery, with the aim of exploring possibilities for Japan’s future in light of the recent devastating earthquake and tsunami. Twenty Japanese guests will sit down to a three-course dinner prepared by Maggie Beer as we look on through a live internet feed. Though we won’t be able to taste the food at the party, we can join in on the conversation; a live Twitter feed will allow participants to ask the guests questions. The guests will range from Governor Ishihara, the Governor of Tokyo to Ms. Rio, a night club dancer. You can view the full Guest List at the link below.

The live event will take place on Sunday July 17th at 6pm AET, at shan.net.au

Image from shan.net.au

Other ways you can help the disaster relief effort in Japan

Songs for Japan

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake

Tokyo Japan

Tokyo is the perfect short-stay destination for a kick of adrenalin. You can spend a lifetime exploring Tokyo and never run out of new things to do and discover. It`s best not to think of Tokyo as one city but as a collection of separate smaller cities all connected by rail as it makes it much easier to explore the city. Each of these smaller cities has its own distinct character and attraction.

The highlights of Tokyo include, The Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine; Asakusa district famous for Sensoji temple and Nakamise shopping street with cheap, antique kimonos, geisha bags and beautiful paper products, Sensoji temple, and the Kappabashi kitchen street for those plastic replicas of food seen in restaurant windows. Ueno for its park and museums, Akihabara for electronics, Shinjuku for its shopping with its huge Takashimaya department store and food hall, Tokyu Hands eight level craft store and Uniqlo store for really cheap, high quality, basic clothing, Harajuku for cheap shopping and Japanese street fashion, and Shiodome for entertainment.

Other places of interest include Shibuya for its famous intersection where the style tribes gather and Shibuya 109 the 10 level fashion emporium. Roppongi traditionally known for its nightclubs and bars, but now for its numerous upscale boutiques, smart cafes and Roppongi Hills with the 52 storey Mori building and Tokyo City View a walkway that wraps around the building offering 360 degree views stretching as far as Mt Fuji. Ginza for Matsuya department store and food hall.

At night time Tokyo really comes alive with mazes of blazing neon lights, tiny street stalls, bars complete with karaoke boxes, and the amazing pub food of yakitori and izakaya.