Tokyo: Kitanomaru Park Autumn Leaves & Edo Castle Walk

Experience autumn colors and Edo-period history together on a one-hour walk through Kitanomaru Park beside the Imperial Palace.

Once part of Edo Castle’s northern compound, the park still preserves historic gates, stone walls, and moats alongside woodland paths, a pond, maple trees, ginkgo trees, and the iconic Nippon Budokan.

Begin at Tayasumon Gate, one of the oldest surviving structures of Edo Castle, then walk through the park while discovering how the area changed from samurai-era castle grounds into a modern public park.

In autumn, maples, ginkgo trees, zelkova, and other deciduous trees bring layers of red, orange, and yellow to the landscape.

Enter through a surviving Edo Castle gate

Meet your guide at Kudanshita Station and walk toward Tayasumon Gate.

The present gate dates to 1636 and is the oldest surviving gate structure of former Edo Castle.

Together with Shimizumon Gate, it has been designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.

Rather than entering an ordinary city park, you begin by physically passing through part of the old castle defenses.

Discover the former Kitanomaru of Edo Castle

During the Edo period, the Kitanomaru area was occupied by members of the extended Tokugawa family.

After later serving other purposes, the grounds were developed as a public park and opened in 1969.

Your guide will explain how traces of the castle coexist with the landscape you see today.

See the Nippon Budokan

Soon after entering the park, see the distinctive Nippon Budokan from outside.

Today it is known both for Japanese martial arts and major concerts and events.

This tour does not enter the building.

Instead, the Budokan helps show how Kitanomaru evolved from a feudal castle district into one of central Tokyo’s major cultural spaces.

Walk into a wooded side of central Tokyo

Continue away from the busiest entrance and into the greener areas of Kitanomaru Park.

The Ministry of the Environment describes the park as a woodland landscape centered around open lawns and a pond, with deciduous trees and flowering plants around the central area.

The atmosphere changes quickly from the streets around Kudanshita.

Look for red maples and golden ginkgo

The park offers more variety than a single-species autumn avenue.

Japanese maples can turn deep red and orange, while large ginkgo trees around the pond create bright yellow autumn scenery.

JNTO specifically highlights Momiji-yama on the western side of the park and large ginkgo trees around the pond, with ginkgo color typically appearing from late November into early December.

See autumn beside the water

Walk around the pond and small waterways where conditions allow.

Depending on light, wind, and foliage, the water can add another layer to photographs of the surrounding trees.

Reflections are a natural effect and cannot be guaranteed.

Learn to notice more than leaf color

Your guide will help you look at how the park is composed:

• Woodland

• Open lawn

• Pond

• Historic walls

• Moats

• Gates

• Modern cultural buildings

This combination is what makes Kitanomaru different from a dedicated Japanese garden.

Take casual seasonal photos

When conditions allow, your guide can help take photographs using your own phone or camera.

Possible backgrounds include:

• Red maple leaves

• Yellow ginkgo trees

• Woodland paths

• Stone walls

• Tayasumon Gate

• The pond

This is casual photo assistance, not a professional photoshoot.

Finish with another Edo Castle gate

When route conditions and guest mobility allow, continue toward Shimizumon Gate.

The current gate was rebuilt in 1658 and, like Tayasumon, is designated an Important Cultural Property.

Its steep stone staircase, known as Gangi-zaka, was intentionally difficult to climb and remains challenging today.

Guests who prefer not to use the stone steps can finish via an easier alternative route.

Continue exploring central Tokyo

The tour finishes around Kitanomaru Park.

From here, you can continue toward Takebashi, the Imperial Palace area, Chidorigafuchi, or nearby museums depending on your plans.