(©JAPAN Forward)
Autumn is in many ways the most enjoyable season in Japan, even though it is a prelude to winter. The weather is more stable and predictable than in the spring, with numerous akibare (秋晴れ) days and weeks. While it is sometimes chilly, even cold, the humidity is low, and the breeze is bracing, not bitter. Changing floral displays continue, including spider lilies (higanbana), roses, dahlias, and many others. And then there are the autumn leaves. First is the ginkgo in bright yellow, followed by maples in colors ranging from dark purple to flaming reds.
In the Kanto (Tokyo) area, the autumn leaves are changing largely as predicted in a JAPANForward article published on October 10. Yellows began around November 27, and reds on December 1.
On November 29, my wife and I visited the Jindai Botanical Gardens in the Tokyo suburb of Chofu. It is noted for its autumn colors and the adjacent Jindaiji soba street.
On the Way
The botanical garden is not adjacent to a commuter rail station, as the Koishikawa Korakuen formal garden is, for example. However, it is served by buses from Chofu, Mitaka, and Kichijoji. We always walk from Chofu Station on the Keio Line because of the attractions along the route to the botanical gardens.
One of these is a small temple, Taishoji, with a garden that is splendid year-round. When we visited, though, it was absolutely stunning.
Our route to the garden continued through the Fuda-Tenjin Shrine and the small forest associated with the popular yokai-centered anime and manga Gegege no Kitaro.
On this trip, we decided to get sandwiches at the Chofu no Yasaibatake (Farmers Market in Chofu) and eat outside in the botanical gardens because we would reach the soba street at noon. The weather was warm enough for comfortable outdoor eating, and we did not want to stand in one of the long lines that formed for popular restaurants.
The Soba Festival
As it turned out, this was a wise decision. Jindaiji, the temple that gives the soba street its name, was having its annual soba festival. There were Buddhist priests in autumn-colored regalia and soba chefs, and children in white regalia making soba noodles in the open air.
We limited ourselves to eating sweets bought on the soba street. I had my favorite grilled kusa mochi, and my wife had a soba manju. (That's made of sweet bean jam inside a wrapper made from buckwheat.) We also took numerous photos of the autumn colors within the precincts of the temple itself.
Inside the garden, we ate our sandwiches at a picnic table with a good view of a grove. The garden itself has a concentration of maples with leaves in a variety of hues.
Autumn Roses and Sakura Blossoms
Continuing, we passed through the dai shibafu green space (大芝生), noted for a massive stand of pampas grass, another botanical sign of fall. This area also had numerous late-blooming flowers and a lone October sakura (１０月桜) that was in full bloom.
Until I started writing articles about parks for JAPAN Forward, I had no idea that roses bloomed twice a year ー once in the spring and once in the fall. But they bloom along the Arakawa Tram Line, at Kyu-Furukawa Teien, and at the Jindai Botanical Gardens. The latter two have festivals keyed to the fall bloom. And, while the roses were past their peak, there were still some impressive blossoms to be seen.
I found it intriguing to take photographs of roses with autumn leaves as a backdrop.
Discovering Treasures in the Hothouse
Finally, we visited the large hothouse where it is always summer, with orchids and lotus flowers to be seen even in mid-winter.
Visitors apparently find the carnivorous plants in the hothouse particularly interesting. Visitors can find souvenirs in the shape of the insect-catching plants on sale at the flower shop within the garden.
Because the Jindai Botanical Gardens change with the seasons, the adjacent soba street, and the temples, shrines, and market on the route, a visit never fails to be an enjoyable experience. It is good for couples as well as families with children. There are large open areas in the garden.
Conclusion
The area is also accessible to wheelchair users. There are mostly paved paths and slopes as an alternative to stairs.
The admission charge is nominal: ¥500 JPY ($3.20) adults, ¥250 ($160) for seniors, and elementary school-age children are free.
For a fun day out, there is ample provision for picnics. However, there are also budget-priced soba set meals available at some restaurants along the adjacent soba street.
Most sites known for their beautiful autumn colors are at their peak in the Kanto (Tokyo) area, with good viewing suggested through mid-December.
Learn more about getting there and the sights nearby.
Jindai Botanical Gardens also gives its own updates on X (aka Twitter) and Instagram.
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Author and photographs by: Earl H Kinmonth
Find other stories about Tokyo and nearby areas by Dr Kinmonth.
