Tokugawaen is a strolling Japanese garden in Higashi Ward, laid out on the grounds of the old Owari Tokugawa residence. It is a piece of peace in the city where paths that wind around a pond, a waterfall, and stream. For three weeks every autumn it becomes the easiest place in central Nagoya to see proper fall color without getting on a train out of the city.
The Autumn Leaves Festival runs from November 14 to December 6. About 100 trees, most of them maples, turn red and yellow from mid-November, and the pond does the rest by doubling them.
Night openings
On seven evenings the garden stays open until 20:00 and the trees are lit from about 16:00: November 20–23 and November 27–29. Lit maples over still water is the reason most people come, so these are the busiest nights of the festival. The two Fridays, November 20 and 27, are your best chance of a path to yourself. Get there as the lights come on and you'll see the garden in daylight and dark on one ticket.
On the other days of the festival the lights still go on from around 16:00, but the garden closes at 17:30, so you only get the first hour or so of it.
When to go
Color depends on the weather, and every year is a little different. Weekday mornings are the quietest. Late November is usually a safe bet, but if you're planning around peak color, check the garden's website for updates before you go.
The garden is closed on Mondays. During the festival that means November 16 and November 30. Monday, November 23 is a national holiday, so the garden opens that day and closes on Tuesday, November 24 instead.
Make a day of it
The Tokugawa Art Museum is right next door, and this year the timing works in your favor: from November 14 to 29 it is showing sections of the National Treasure Tale of Genji picture scrolls, which only come out for short periods. A combined ticket covers the garden, the museum and the Hosa Library; ask at the gate.
After all of that stroll over to the Kenchuji Temple, a large 17th-century temple of the same Tokugawa family, just a short walk away if you want one more stop before dinner.
The Details
Tokugawaen Autumn Leaves Festival
Dates:
November 14 – December 6, 2026
Hours:
9:30–17:30 (last entry 17:00)
Night openings:
November 20–23 and 27–29, open until 20:00
(last entry 19:30); lights on from about 16:00
Closed:
Mondays (November 16 and 30)
Open Monday, November 23
Closed Tuesday, November 24
Admission: ¥300
Nagoya residents 65 and over: ¥100
Junior high school age and under: free
Address: 1001 Tokugawa-cho, Higashi-ku, Nagoya
Phone: 052-935-8988 (Japanese)
Website: tokugawaen.aichi.jp
Access
By bus (easiest): City bus Key Route 2 (基幹2) to Tokugawaen Shindeki, then about 3 minutes on foot. The Me-guru sightseeing bus also stops at Tokugawaen / Tokugawa Art Museum.
By train: JR Chuo Line to Ozone, about 10 minutes on foot from the south exit. From the Meijo Line at Ozone or the Sakura-dori Line at Kurumamichi, it's about 15 minutes on foot.
By car: There's a small paid lot (79 spaces, ¥100 per 25 minutes), and it fills up during the festival. Take the bus.
MAP
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