Sankeien Garden Autumn Leaves — photo by Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Sankeien Garden Autumn Leaves 2026 Confirmed

三溪園の紅葉 — Yokohama, Kanagawa (Kanto)

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Sankeien is a 175,000-square-metre garden opened in 1906 by the silk merchant Hara Sankei, who bought seventeen historic buildings from Kyoto, Kamakura, Nara and Gifu and rebuilt them here around ponds and wooded hills. The oldest is a three-storied pagoda of 1457, the oldest surviving pagoda in the Kanto region, standing on the hill above everything else. Maple colour in the inner garden and the normally closed valley walk peaks in the last days of November and the first ten days of December. Open 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30.

Background

Hara Tomitaro, who used the art name Sankei, made his fortune in raw silk exported through the port of Yokohama and opened the outer part of his garden to the public free of charge in 1906. He was also a serious patron of Japanese painting, supporting Yokoyama Taikan and Shimomura Kanzan among others. The garden was badly damaged in the 1945 air raids on Yokohama and was restored from 1953 under a foundation, which still runs it.

Getting there

City buses run from the east exit of Yokohama Station to the Sankeien-iriguchi stop in about 35 minutes, then it is a five-minute walk. From Negishi Station on the JR Negishi Line a bus reaches Honmoku in about ten minutes, leaving a seven-minute walk. There is paid parking on site, which fills on autumn weekends.

Tips

• The valley walkway through the maples opens only in the foliage season and closes at 16:00 daily — earlier than the garden itself.
• The illumination runs on Fridays, weekends and holidays rather than every night, so check the dates before planning an evening.
• After 16:30 the path past the pagoda closes and the pagoda is viewed from the foot of the hill; if you want it close up, go in daylight.
• The outer garden is the busier half; the inner garden, with the Rinshunkaku villa and the teahouses, is where the quiet compositions are.

Last verified against the official source: Sat, September 12, 2026