Fall Colors and Xmas Lights in Tokyo

Wednesday, Dec 9

We took the subway to Haranjuku station to see more fall colors and to enjoy more cool, but sunny weather.

Our destination was Yoyogi Park. When we exited the station we saw that we were right next to one of the other famous shrines, Meiji-jinju which is located in the area called Yoyogi. We’d been to this shrine five years before during the summer, so we decided to take a walk through to see what fall colors it might offer. Turns out, it was quite pretty—and it was filled with people. When we were there before in high summertime it was busy, and this Fall Wednesday afternoon at 3pm, it was still busy. There weren’t any weddings happening like last time, but it seemed to be ‘family-picture day’. We saw various young families posing with their kids for photos, with quite a few of the kids dressed in traditional Japanese garb. Little 3-foot-tall kimonos and samurai robes ran around, stopping momentarily to smile for the camera. One photographer was photographing a beaming grandmother dressed in a traditional kimono and the tiny head of her new grandbaby was just showing above the large, draping-fabric detail of her brown floral kimono sleeve. That was going to be a beautiful pic.

We wandered around oohing and awing the adorable kids in their miniature regalia, and the beautiful explosions of oranges, yellows, and reds sprinkled throughout the otherwise lush green setting. There are supposedly over 100,000 trees planted here. The park is home to quite a few forty-foot-tall tori gates, a museum, and an enormous shrine complex. The shrine was built back in the 1920s as a dedication to the spirits of the Emperor Meiji and his empress. It’s a lovely place to spend time strolling, enjoying nature, and for people watching.

We left the park at the main entrance and turned right, heading away from the train station from which we’d arrived. A short distance past the Meiji-jinju Shrine area was Yoyogi Park.

Yoyogi (I love saying this name) is a large park as well but it features at the entrance a main walkway with a long fountain running down its middle, leading to a large pond. It is an area mostly of rolling flat lawns and trees—many of which were covered with red, orange, or yellow leaves, though many were now leafless. I can imagine it was even more colorful a couple of weeks earlier before the leaves started to drop. It’s a pretty park but it lacks the lush greenery of the forest of neighboring Meiji-jinju.

After enjoying the serenity of the parks and a couple of cans of mystery booze, we wandered off to Tokyo Midtown to take in the garishness of a shopping center and all its famous Xmas lights. From the photos and descriptions of the place it was supposed to put one in the mood for Xmas by hammering it over your head. I couldn’t wait.

From the various sites I’ve read, there are supposed to be over 180,000 LED lights on display here. I kept losing count, so I guess I’ll just have to take their word for it. According to their website this year’s theme with its sci-fi feeling is called ‘Midtown Cruise’. Go figure. The surrounding high-end Galleria shopping area, which includes a Ritz Carlton,  is decorated with the typical Christmas deco and shops. It was like any high end shopping mall anywhere. We bought a lighted xmas card for $13.

Though it was pretty, it wasn't as beautiful as I'd imagined and the 180,000 LED lights didn't hold a match to the beauty we found in the surrounding parks.

More Fall Colors and Cheap Italian Food in Tokyo

Tuesday, Dec 1

The day started out sunny, but chilly. We decided to visit the Koishikawa Korakuen Park listed on that Japanese Fall Foliage Report we’ve been following. We want to see as much Fall color as we can before the winter comes roaring in and finishes off the leaves.

Getting off at the Iidabashi station and going left from the Tokyo Dome, we headed to the gardens. Upon paying the 300Yen (less than $3) per person, we entered into a green oasis and found ourselves facing a large pond. This park was once belonging to a feudal lord and built back in the late 1600s. I read that it covers over 17 acres, but it really did not seem to be all that big, especially since you see the Tokyo Dome, a roller coaster, and several tall office buildings looming over it from most angles. In this regard it was not as nice as the Rikugien gardens, but there were definitely more colors here.

Strolling around the pond there were quite a few little paths going in different directions and as with seemingly anything in Tokyo it was rather crowded. Besides the varied bird calls—I saw on a board that there are twenty types of birds and ducks found here in this park—we could also hear the sound of the roller coaster whooshing by with its screaming riders, as well as quite a bit of ambient traffic noise.

Getting lost on the various pathways, we found a stone bridge, a bright orange Chinese-style bridge, a strolling pond, various birds and ducks, a profusion of trees teeming with greens, oranges, and yellows, and a series of wide, flat stepping stones that allowed one to ‘walk on water’ for a few moments.

We stayed for a couple of hours then left so we could go to our next destination: Tokyo Dome City. We were going there to see the lights. I was expecting it to be set up for Xmas because I’d seen it listed on various websites as a place to go to see lights. As it turned out, it was really just an amusement park with lots of lights set up. There are a few rides there and it would probably be a fun place to hang out for a love-struck teenager perhaps, but for a bitter adult with the weight of the world on her shoulders, it was good for a quick run through. We did stop and have dinner at an Italian restaurant located there and were surprised at how good the food was. And for under $50 we had two big bowls of pasta, two glasses of champagne, two glasses of beer and a large green salad.

While eating, we spied a Don Quijote store out the window and decided to go do some shopping after we ate. Known as Donki by the Japanese, it is a discount chain with tons of stuff. We buy mostly food, snacks, booze, and cleaning items from them and we proceeded to buy three bags of stuff that is not available at our local Donki. I actually bought a bottle of CA Woodbridge wine for less than $7! Score!

Heading home with our 3 bags of food and booze, and with tummies full of Italian-style pasta, we could have been home in NYC—except we had spent a whole lot less money.