Kyu-Furukawa Gardens Sets 2026 Autumn Rose & Foliage Season

1. Dates, hours and what Tokyo has announced

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association announced the 2026 programme on 16 September. The event runs from Saturday 7 November through Sunday 6 December, with the garden open from 9am to 5pm and final admission at 4:30pm.

The selling point is the overlap between two seasonal displays: autumn roses in the Western-style garden and autumn foliage around the Japanese garden. The historic Western residence adds the third visual layer, so this is less a single “festival day” than a month-long window with several smaller programmed events inside it.

Weather can change the appearance of the leaves and roses, and the organisers explicitly say events or services can be cancelled, suspended or changed because of weather. Check the garden's official page before travelling on a day with poor conditions.

2. Why 2026 is a special year for the garden

Kyu-Furukawa Gardens opened to the public in 1956, making 2026 its 70th anniversary. The garden's official event notice also marks 20 years since its designation as a national Place of Scenic Beauty.

The property is unusual because the Western-style residence and rose garden sit above a Japanese garden designed by Kyoto gardener Ogawa Jihei. That contrast is what makes the autumn programme work: roses and the stone residence read as a Western garden scene, while maples and other autumn trees frame the pond and lower garden.

A digital anniversary stamp rally, “Japanese and Western Garden Tour Book”, runs from 10 October to 28 December. Visitors collect stamps on a smartphone while learning about the garden's history, with a prize draw for commemorative goods while supplies last.

3. Concerts, workshop and guided walks

The main one-day performance is on Saturday 28 November, with approximately 30-minute sessions at noon and 3pm. The programme pairs koto with pan flute on the lawn. Participation is free once you are inside the garden, although the performance is cancelled in rain.

A rose-fragrance workshop is scheduled for Tuesday 24 November at 10am and 2pm. Each session is about two hours, places are limited and advance application is required. The workshop combines fragrance-making with a guide to the Western residence.

Garden-guide walks are planned every day during the event period: 2pm on weekdays, and 11am plus 2pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. They are free beyond garden admission, generally first-come-first-served and may be cancelled in poor weather.

There are also rotating market and food dates. The official programme includes rose-themed goods and sweets, selected food trucks, chiffon cake on 29 November, and sakura-dyeing sessions on 28 November and 5 December. Those extras are date-specific, so do not assume every stall or workshop is there every day.

4. Tickets and the new online-entry option

Standard garden admission is ¥150 for adults and ¥70 for visitors aged 65 or older. Primary-school children and younger are free, as are junior-high students who live or study in Tokyo. The Western residence is managed separately and has its own admission arrangements.

Kyu-Furukawa introduced date-specific online garden tickets on 17 August 2026. They can be bought from 31 days before the visit until 4pm on the day, while ordinary ticket-window sales continue. The official online-ticket notice says self-cancellation is available until 4:30pm on the visit date, subject to its conditions.

For a normal weekday I would not overcomplicate a ¥150 garden visit. For a busy autumn weekend, having the entry ticket sorted before arriving can remove one small queue from the day.

5. How to get there without inventing a transport headache

The garden is at 1-27-39 Nishigahara in Kita City. The official access guidance puts it about seven minutes on foot from JR Kami-Nakazato Station, seven minutes from Nishigahara Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, and about 12 minutes from JR Komagome Station on the Yamanote Line.

There is no visitor car park. For most travellers the useful choice is therefore between the Namboku Line and the JR options, based on where you are starting. Komagome can also make sense if you want to combine this garden with Rikugien, another major autumn garden nearby.

The grounds use the natural height difference of the Musashino terrace and include slopes and stairs. The garden publishes a barrier-free route map, so wheelchair users and anyone with limited mobility should check that route before visiting rather than assume every path is step-free.

6. The photography rule worth knowing before you pack a tripod

For the “Autumn Leaves and Roses” event period, the garden says tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are prohibited throughout the garden, including the Japanese garden. That matters because this is exactly the kind of place photographers might otherwise arrive carrying support gear.

General garden rules are also stricter than a casual public park. The operator warns that commercial shoots, model photography sessions, cosplay shoots and unauthorised wedding photography are not appropriate, and some locations can have additional restrictions to protect the cultural property.

A normal handheld visitor photo is a different proposition, but the practical rule is simple: travel light, keep paths clear and check the current official photography notice if the shoot itself is the purpose of your visit.

7. How I would plan the visit

If autumn colour is the priority, I would aim for the second half of November while keeping the exact date flexible. Leaf timing moves with weather, so the event calendar is more reliable than any promise that a specific tree will peak on a specific day.

If you want the most programmed day, 28 November stacks the koto and pan-flute performance with the sakura-dyeing sessions. If you prefer the garden itself, a weekday morning should be simpler: arrive not long after 9am, see the rose garden first, then work downhill through the Japanese garden before the later-day crowds build.

Residents can treat this as a low-cost half-day rather than a once-only destination event. Visitors can pair it with Komagome or Rikugien rather than crossing Tokyo for a single photo stop. Either way, check the official garden update on the morning of the visit if weather is marginal.