Koishikawa Korakuen Night Garden (Shinzan Koyo) Opens Nov 13: Advance Tickets ¥1,000 Through Nov 12

Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園) in Tokyo's Bunkyo ward is running its night special opening Shinzan Koyo (深山“光”葉を楽しむ / Shinzan “Light” Leaves) from Friday, November 13 through Tuesday, November 24, 2026. Evenings run 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (last entry 8:00 p.m.). Advance online night tickets are ¥1,000 through Thursday, November 12, 11:59 p.m. Japan time. If you are in central Tokyo for an autumn evening garden, here is what the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association has published.

*DOJI is an independent travel publication. We have no business relationship with the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association, Koishikawa Korakuen, Tokyo Dome, Seven Ticket, KKday, or Asoview, and this guide is not endorsed by them. Dates, hours and prices below come from the event's official special site and event listing, checked on November 6, 2026 (Eastern time). Times are Japan time (JST). Japan is 14 hours ahead of Eastern time in winter. Event details can change, so check the official site again before you go.*

The short version

• When: November 13 – 24, 2026 · 6:00–9:00 p.m. · last entry 8:00 p.m. The daytime garden closes at 5:00 p.m. and reopens at 6:00 p.m. for the night session.
• Where: Koishikawa Korakuen, Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (next to Tokyo Dome).
• Night ticket: Required for the evening session. Advance online only ¥1,000 (tax included) from October 1, 10:00 a.m. through November 12, 11:59 p.m. Day-of online ¥1,200 from November 13, 12:00 a.m. through November 24, 7:30 p.m. A limited cash window also sells day-of tickets at the West Gate from 6:00–8:00 p.m.
• Who needs a ticket: Junior-high age and older need a night ticket — including Tokyo residents and students, annual-passport holders, and disability-pass holders. Disability-pass holders and one caregiver can buy a discounted ¥500 ticket at the day-of window or via Mirairo ID.
• Gates: Enter at the West Gate; exit at the East Gate. Some areas are closed at night for safety.
• What you see: Light-up at Horaijima, Hitotsu-matsu, and the Karamon / inner garden (including winter rope supports / yukitsuri), plus projection mapping on Engetsu-kyo and the Tsuiji-bei wall. The organizers describe an “early autumn leaves” scene created with lights and video — not a claim that natural maple peak falls inside these dates.

Hours, place and price

Online tickets are sold through Seven Ticket, KKday, and Asoview. We name those sellers because the organizers list them; we do not link to checkout pages. The official page carries a notice about an Asoview vendor email-service incident — for overseas buyers, prefer Seven Ticket or KKday, and ignore any message that claims to be from the garden asking for personal or payment details.

We did not test whether overseas cards clear on those sellers. Treat English checkout success as unverified.

What is on at night (as published)

Light-up (6:00–9:00 p.m. nightly): Hitotsu-matsu, Horaijima on the large pond, and the Karamon / inner garden with yukitsuri.

Projection mapping (same hours): Engetsu-kyo with an autumn-leaves theme, and the Tsuiji-bei wall with Edo-period imagery. The organizers also say the mapping covers scenery you cannot see during construction at Tsutenkyo and the Oigawa area.

Participatory items (stamp rally, lantern sales, kitchen cars, Biidoro tea house) are listed on the official page. We omit tea-house and food set prices here.

On-site rules (official): No smoking; no pets (including in carriers); no picnic sheets; no model/commercial photography without permission. Some stalls are cash-only.

Getting there (West Gate for night entry)

Night visitors enter at the West Gate and leave at the East Gate. From the park's own access block:

• Address: 1-6-6 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo · phone +81-3-3811-3015 (service center, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
• West Gate (night entry): Toei Oedo Line Iidabashi (E06) exit C3, about a 3-minute walk; JR Sobu Iidabashi east exit about 8 minutes; Tokyo Metro Tozai / Yurakucho / Namboku Iidabashi exits A1 / A3 about 8 minutes.
• East Gate (exit): JR Sobu Suidobashi west exit about 5 minutes; Tokyo Metro Marunouchi / Namboku Korakuen exit 2 about 6 minutes.
• Parking: None on site.

Allow extra time if the West Gate queue is long — the organizers warn of possible waits.

What we could not confirm

• Whether Seven Ticket or KKday checkout accepts every overseas card, or has a full English flow — we did not buy a ticket.
• Remaining advance inventory as of publish time.
• Exact natural maple peak week for 2026 inside the garden (the event stages autumn with lights and projection mapping).
• Tea-house / kitchen-car set prices, and how early the limited lantern stock sells out.
• How busy individual evenings will be.
• Any later change to hours, prices or gate rules.

Checklist

• [ ] Your date falls between November 13 and November 24, 2026.
• [ ] If you want the ¥1,000 advance price, you buy online by November 12, 11:59 p.m. JST (November 12, 9:59 a.m. Eastern).
• [ ] Everyone junior-high age and older in your group has a night ticket.
• [ ] You head for the West Gate, not the East Gate, for entry.
• [ ] You re-check the official special site the day before you go.

Also in Tokyo this season: Daitokuji treasures and ZEN NIGHT TOKYO at the Tokyo National Museum (through December 6).

Planning a Tokyo autumn evening from Canada? Join DOJI.

Sources

• Koishikawa Korakuen night special opening — Shinzan Koyo (official special site): dates, hours, last entry, day close/reopen, advance/day-of prices and sale windows, West Gate cash window, sellers (Seven Ticket / KKday / Asoview), junior-high+ ticket rule, disability ¥500, West enter / East exit, light-up and projection-mapping spots, Asoview notice, on-site rules. Checked 2026-11-06.
• Event listing — same dates: matching dates, hours, ticket table, gate notes. Checked 2026-11-06.
• Koishikawa Korakuen park page (official): address, West/East Gate station walks, no parking, service-center phone. Checked 2026-11-06.

Cover photo: a stone lantern lit in a Japanese garden at night (not Koishikawa Korakuen's 2026 Shinzan Koyo light-up). Photo by Diana Lisunova via Unsplash.