Shukkeien Garden Autumn Leaves 2026 Confirmed
縮景園の紅葉 — Hiroshima (Chugoku)
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- Typical peak
- Tue, Nov 10 – Tue, Dec 1, 2026
- Time
- 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Venue
- Shukkeien Garden, Naka-ku, Hiroshima (縮景園)
- Tickets
- ¥350 for adults, ¥150 for university students, free for high school students and younger. Open 9:00am–5:00pm from Sep 16 to Mar 15 with entry until 4:30pm, and to 6:00pm in the warmer half of the year.
- Official site
- shukkeien.jp
Shukkeien means shrunken-scenery garden: a 1620 daimyo garden that miniaturises mountains, valleys and a lake inside a small block in central Hiroshima. Its centrepiece is Kokokyo, an arched stone bridge about 240 years old that withstood the blast of the atomic bomb. The maples around the pond and in the valley behind it turn from mid-November into the first days of December, and a momiji festival is held at the peak. Open 9:00 to 17:00 from mid-September to mid-March, last entry thirty minutes before closing.
Background
The garden was laid out from 1620 for Asano Nagaakira, the first Asano lord of Hiroshima, by his chief retainer Ueda Soko — a warrior who was also a tea master and founded a school of tea that still bears his name. The garden lies a little over a kilometre from the hypocentre and was destroyed on 6 August 1945. It became a refuge for the injured, many of whom died there and are buried in the grounds, and it was restored and reopened in 1951.
Getting there
About a ten-minute walk north from the south exit of Hiroshima Station, or two stops on the Hiroshima Electric Railway streetcar to Shukkeien-mae. The Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum shares the site and connects directly to the garden.
Tips
- A combined ticket with the Prefectural Art Museum next door costs less than the two separately.
- Kokokyo bridge and the Seifukan teahouse are the two set pieces; the valley behind the pond is where the maples are densest.
- The garden is small enough for an hour, which makes it a natural addition to a Peace Memorial Park day rather than a trip of its own.
- A memorial in the grounds marks the mass grave of those who died here after the bombing — worth reading before you walk the pond circuit.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to see Shukkeien Garden Autumn Leaves?
- Autumn color here usually peaks Nov 10 – Dec 1. Color depends on how cold the nights have been, and peak can land a week either side of the usual window, so check a foliage forecast about a week out.
Last verified against the official source: Sun, September 13, 2026