Autumn scenes in Central Tokyo： Nov.19, 2025

 

 

It is mid-November now and autumn deepens rapidly in Tokyo. The minimum temperature dropped to 5 degrees today.

The leaves of some trees are turning yellow and red, adding a touch of color to the city.

 

The ginkgo trees on Miyuki-dori Street in front of Tokyo Station are at their peak of yellowing. The contrast between the rows of ginkgo trees and the retro-style Tokyo Station and skyscrapers behind them is striking. Many foreign tourists were taking photos. (See also the top photo)

 

The plaza in front of Tokyo Station was crowded with people waiting for appointments and tourists. They looked to be admiring the autumn scenery. (See also the 3rd photo)

 

Ginkgo trees stand along the inner moat of the Imperial Palace, casting their shadows on the water.

 

The ginkgo trees in the Kasumigaseki government district, south of the Palace, have also turned yellow. (See the 2nd photo)

The ground in Hibiya Park was covered with fallen leaves. The leaves have turned yellow and red.

 

Japan has experienced a historic hot summer this year. Tokyo’s temperatures went up nearly 30 degrees even in October. Autumn has arrived later than in the past, and weather forecasts predict it will be a short one.

Imperial Palace, Tokyo Station: Jan.10, 2025

The year of 2025 started. 

I had business in the central part of Tokyo and walked around the Imperial Palace. It was a beautiful day.

I enjoyed the senary of the Outer Gardens of the palace. There are hundreds of pine trees there. Skyscrapers stand beyond the trees.

Many people visit the Imperial Palace, including the Outer Gardens, in the first days of year. The places were not so crowded today.

I met some joggers, foreign tourist and Japanese visitors.

A group of foreign visitors were taking photos with the bridge (Nijubashi) to the main gate.

The Tokyo Station area was not so crowded either.

The new year holidays officially ended on January 7th in Tokyo. However, I found signs to celebrate the year here and there.

 

 

 

 

 

Imperial Palace in a hot summer day: Aug. 23, 2023

Japan has extraordinary hot summer this year.

The temperature goes up over 35 degrees almost every day in Tokyo.

The heat wave arrived in July and it still stays on the islands.

The temperature has forced me to stay home in the daytime for nearly two months.

Today, I had a business in the central Tokyo and I had a short walk in and around the Imperial Palace.

The moats of the palace were covered with water grasses. (See also the top photo)

 

I visited the east garden of the Palace.

I found several visitors there; most of them were foreign tourists. 

 

This is a scene from a ruin of castle tower. There are many skyscrapers stand around the palace. (See also the 2nd photo)

 

It is a scene of outer garden. The lawn as well as pine trees are well managed.

 

It is expected that the hear wave will stay in Japan for another couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

Flowers and plants in hot summer: July 13-23, 2023

 

Japan has an extremely hot summer (again) this year.

The temperature in Tokyo went up over 35 degrees in many days in July.

 

Unusual weather caused territorial heavy rain and other natural disasters in some parts of Japan. The heavy rain disasters in Akita district (in Tohoku area) were especially serious.

I have my walks in the evening this month as it is too hot to walk in the daytime.

I found various summer flowers during my walks.

Sunflowers were open in many places.

Hundreds of sunflowers were open in Roka Park in Setagaya city. (See also top and 2nd photos)

 

This photo was taken in a walking path.

 

Aquatic grasses covered a pond in Hibiya Park, central Tokyo.

 

The leaves of the trees had turned to deep green when I visited Hanegi Park on July 23. Cicadas were singing loudly. (see also the 3rd photo)

 

 

 

 

WBC Baseball fans @ Tokyo Dome: March 16, 2023

I passed by the Tokyo Dome baseball stadium during my Tokyo walk.

Many people gathered there as a WBC (the World Baseball Classic) match between Japan and Italy was scheduled.

People made a queue from JR Suidobashi station to the dome.

Many people were waiting the gates open. (See also the 2nd photo)

Some visitors were in baseball uniforms.

Not a few people wore Shohei Otani’s uniform. (See also the top photo)

It was announced that more than 40 thousand audience attended the game.

Japan made a 9-3 win and advanced to a semifinal game scheduled in the U.S.

 

Covid rules eased; people still wear masks： March 15-16, 2023

 

Japan on March 13 withdrew its request for the people to wear masks when they go out. The request was issued just after the outbreak of Covid 19 in 2020. Now, people are free to decide whether or not to wear masks.

The country also decided to downgrade the legal status of the Covid-19 from “Class 2” to “Class 5.” Class 5 is a category applied for seasonal influenza.

The easing is a move to follow the trends in European countries, U.S. and some other countries.

I visited several places in Tokyo after the request on masks was got rid of. I found that most people still wore masks.

Almost all people were with masks at the Godzilla street in Shinjuku. (See the top photo). The left photo was taken at Shinjuku Station.

 

The situation is similar at Tokyo Station. I found people wearing masks at the ticket gates (the 2nd photo), in front of the station building (3rd from the top), and in the main entrance (left).

 

This is a scene in Yasukuni Shrine.

 

There are, of course, some changes. People are allowed to root for favorite teams, instead of just to silently watch the games, in the sport matches.

Many people tooted for the Japanese team in the World Baseball Classic games held in Tokyo this week. 

The left photo was taken just before the game between Japan and Italy on March 16.

Most people were with masks outside the dome when they were waiting to enter (See the p2nd photo).  

More people visit restaurants and drinking bars.

With easing the rules, Japan entered into the “with-covid” era. People’s lives are changing gradually.

Cherry season starts: March 15, 2023

The ume (Japanese apricot) season is over; and the cherry blossom has just started.

The cherry blossom in Tokyo is declared when more than five flowers are open at the benchmark cherry tree in Yasukuni Shrine. It happened on March 14 (yesterday).

The benchmark cherry tree is Somei-yoshino, a hybrid cherry developed in the late Edo period (about 200 years ago). Somei-yoshino is most popular and widely-seen cherry in Japan.

I visited the shrine. The tree had tens of flowers today.

Many visitors were taking photos. (See also the top photo)

Another kind of cherry was fully open.

I had a walk around the Imperial Palace.

Only a few flowers were open at Chidorigafuchi.

The place will be crowded with many hanami visitors (flower watchers) in a week or two.

The banks of the palace were flesh green.

Some cherry flowers were fully open.

I found camellia flowers.

This is bokeh flower.

There were many people enjoying walking in the outer garden of the palace.