A walk through Inokashira Park in Autumn [SPOT REPORT]

On Monday (November 28th) I visited the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, again after some years together with a friend – and after the visit we decided to take a walk from the museum to Kichijoji station, passing through Inokashira Park (井の頭恩賜庭園). I had already seen many photos online showing the pretty autumn colors in Tokyo for a few weeks and expected that most would already be over and that I had missed the autumn season this year, but I was positively surprised.

Inokashira Park is a metropolitan park that opened in 1917, which means it is already over 100 years old.  The park is open all day and free to walk around. And there is a lot to see, such as the huge Inokashira Pond, a shrine, the park zoo, and many smaller parks inside the area. It is a lovely place for a walk with your loved ones, and for couples, families, and friends. We took a while to cross the park while chatting and taking photos. Being around lunchtime, it was rather empty in the park and the atmosphere was peaceful and relaxing.

Around the pond the autumn colors looked really beautiful during our visit. Even though it was a rather gloomy and cloudy day, the red and orange colors of the maple leaves were very vibrant and we were really impressed. I loved the reflections on the water.

One of my favorite spots at Inokashira Park is the Benzaiten Shrine with its little bridges and the pond around.

The maple leaves were mostly in full color on Monday, so I guess they will fall off soon. The yellow ginkgo leaves seemed to be mainly over already. Therefore, if you want to visit Inokashira Park this autumn season, go there as soon as possible. However, this park is also a popular spot during spring with plum and cherry blossoms, but also in summer with fresh green colors.