Autumn colors in Tokyo (Nov. 2008)

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We arrived in Tokyo just in time for kojo - autumn colors. Japan is famous for its yellow gingko and red maple trees. So one of the first things we did was going on an autumn hike in the mountains close the Tokyo. It takes about 90 minutes from Shinjuku station to reach Okutama and then another 30minutes to the artificial Okutama lake. We arranged to meet my friend Andy at the campground for a cool night out in the mountains and kojo watching. It is easy to get around in Japan. Trains leave punctual and very frequently and there are also all kind of special and rapid services. It takes usually 90 minutes to get to the mountains and then sometimes 30 minutes on a bus to get into a valley. We arrived at the in the afternoon and had a pleasant hike to the camp ground. The weather was nice and cool with fresh air. We enjoyed an evening with cooking and talking. The next day we hiked for 3 hours half around the lake and went back to Tokyo. It was a very nice first weekend to slowly settle in.

There are also special kojo watching parks in the center of Tokyo. A famous one is the Rikugien garden during evening time. The trees are lit by strong spot lights and give a beautiful impression against the dark sky. It felt like in a forest and not in the middle of 33 million Megacity Tokyo. I went with my American Peter and who had told me about this place last year. We spent 2 hours watching several sceneries and taking pictures.

Another thing is just cycling by bike along the Gingko trees lined streets. Tokyo is full of tree lined streets and they are stunning during autumn colors time. It is fascinating to see the gradually change and how the trees slowly loose the leafs.

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