Late November at Tokyo University's Hongo Campus, when ginkgo trees turned the entire street golden

Tokyo University's Hongo Campus in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward isn't a tourist destination. But come late November and it becomes one of Tokyo's most celebrated autumn foliage spots. There…

Tokyo · University of Tokyo

Tokyo University's Hongo Campus in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward isn't a tourist destination. But come late November and it becomes one of Tokyo's most celebrated autumn foliage spots. There's one reason: ginkgo trees. The straight row of ginkgos from the main gate to Yasuda Auditorium turns golden all at once, and though you can see it in photos beforehand, standing beneath them in person feels entirely different. I entered from Hongosancho Station around 9 a.m., and already people had set up tripods along the street.

The main gate sets the tone

Standing before the main gate, you see a golden tunnel stretching beyond the granite columns and iron decorative gate. The gate frame acts as a picture frame, so many people just photograph it here and leave. On the left brick column there's a sign listing opening and closing times—apparently different gates have different hours, and some close on weekends and holidays. It's best to check the specific times in person when you visit.

The main gate arch becomes a perfect frame, with granite columns and an iron decorative gate opening to a golden ginkgo avenue, tourists gathered taking photos — The main gate arch becomes a perfect frame. The sign on the left brick wall shows the gate opening and closing schedule.

Next to the gate stands a red brick gatehouse with a green copper roof. The stone floor is laid in a fan pattern that's worth looking at. Students simply cycle past it without stopping. Tourists pause and look up at the sky; students pedal on. That contrast is the basic rhythm of this campus.

Red brick gatehouse with green copper roof and iron decorative gate, stone-paved ground in fan pattern, a student on a bicycle and a family with a stroller passing by — The brick gatehouse beside the gate. Strollers and bicycles share the same path.

The ginkgos are absolutely stunning in autumn

I transcribe that quote for a reason. I've been here in other seasons and it was just a quiet university with brick buildings. Late November is a completely different place. The ginkgos lining both sides of the street grow so tall their branches meet overhead, with blue sky just barely visible between them. As sunlight filters through the golden leaves, it bathes the street and faces in yellow.

Under blue sky, two large ginkgo trees stand on either side of the street with leaves half-fallen, the ground thick with golden leaves — The branches are starting to bare, but the ground is thick with golden leaves. This is just past peak.

Peak timing varies by tree. On the same street, some still have half their green leaves while others have dropped most, showing bare branches. The ground carpeted with fallen leaves is actually more intensely golden. Rather than aiming for a single peak day, it's easier to just pick any day between mid-November and early December.

A golden leaf tunnel stretches beyond thick ginkgo trunks, with a beige brick building on the left and one person sitting in the middle of the street — A person sitting in the middle of the street. No one tells them to move.

For better photos, early morning is ideal. The sun sits lower, backlighting the leaves, and there are far fewer people. Past noon, photographers line the middle of the street elbow-to-elbow, and you might as well forget about shots without people in them.

People scattered along a brick-paved path beneath a golden ginkgo leaf tunnel, with an arched brick building visible in the distance — Brick paving carpeted with fallen leaves. An arched building entrance frames the end of the path.

A man in a suit walks beneath ginkgos mixing green and gold, with brick building steps on the left and a restaurant sign with fork-and-knife icon on the lower right — A section where green still covers half the trees. The fork-and-knife sign on the lower right points toward the campus dining hall.

Yasuda Auditorium — when the clock pointed to 11 o'clock

At the end of the ginkgo street stands a red brick building with a clock tower. This is Yasuda Auditorium. There's a circular lawn in front, cordoned off with orange rope so you can't walk on it. From the front, vertical brick columns converge upward toward the tower, and when you stand before it in person, it feels far grander than any photo suggests.

Red brick facade of Tokyo University's Yasuda Auditorium under blue sky, with a clock tower in the center, a pointed arched entrance, and a circular lawn in front — Front of Yasuda Auditorium. Modern glass curtain-wall buildings overlap in the background.

Modern glass buildings layering behind the auditorium's left side actually reveal this campus's true character perfectly. 1920s-30s brick buildings and recently constructed glass structures sit side by side without tension.

Yasuda Auditorium viewed from below on a stone-paved plaza, with a no-entry sign on the green lawn and two people gazing up at the building — The lawn is cordoned off. You need to view it from the stone plaza to take in the whole structure.

Viewed close up from below, the impression shifts again. Only the entrance uses rough stone; everything else is brick, so the texture changes sharply at the arch. Two octagonal clocks face different sides of the tower. It was just past 11 a.m.

Yasuda Auditorium's clock tower viewed from below, with two octagonal clocks and a pointed arched entrance in rough stone, a trimmed green hedge in the foreground — Only the entrance arch uses rough stone. The boundary between brick and stone is striking.

The inner paths few visitors explore

Most visitors just see the main gate, the ginkgo street, and Yasuda Auditorium, then leave. If you have time, venture deeper into the campus. There are several brick buildings with arcade colonnades, their capital ornaments still intact—the buildings alone take a while to properly observe. Since these are university facilities, I only viewed them from outside.

Brick building facade with arcade colonnade atop the stairs, capitals carved with ornament and blue sky reflected in windows — Brick building with arcade. Morning light strikes the facade directly.

Along the way you'll find a sign pointing to the Central Dining Hall. It's the student cafeteria, and one massive ginkgo in front of it stands out. Its branches spread in all directions, with a single tree shading a small plaza. Since dining availability and prices vary by semester, check the information posted near the sign.

A large ginkgo with branches spreading in all directions, beneath it a sign pointing toward the Central Dining Hall, brick building and brick pavement on the right — The large ginkgo beside the Central Dining Hall sign. It still had about half its green leaves.

Turn down another path and you'll find a campus map and a sign for the Comprehensive Research Museum. The presence of a road gives it a different feel, but an arcade building perfectly frames the end of the vista, making this view worthwhile too.

Campus road lined with ginkgos, a backpacker reading the campus map on the left, Comprehensive Research Museum sign on the right, arcade building framing the path's end — Path toward the Comprehensive Research Museum. The map on the left shows the layout of the entire campus.

Two golden ginkgos standing side by side beside a brick building, white modern high-rise behind them, a person with a white parasol walking past — Ginkgos grow in front of modern buildings too. A person passed by with a parasol—in November, no less.

How to get there and tips from experience

The easiest way to Hongo Campus is by subway. Hongosancho Station on Tokyo Metro's Marunouchi and Toei Oedo lines, Todaimae Station on the Namboku Line, and Nezu and Yushima stations on the Chiyoda Line all border the campus. It's about a 5–10 minute walk from any station. The campus itself is large, so to see the ginkgo street and Yasuda Auditorium most efficiently, enter via the main gate.

The campus isn't flat. On one side, sloped paths wind upward, and from the hilltop you can see trees on the far side of campus tinged brown and orange at a glance. It would be a shame to leave without exploring this section.

Campus slopes viewed from above, three students in school uniforms cycling past trees stained brown and orange — The sloped inner path. Students on bikes use this section most frequently.

A wide road within campus, old stone-stepped stairs on the right, hillside with a mix of dried brown and green trees — Paths continue up the stone-stepped stairs on the right. This area sees almost no tourists.

Here are a few things I actually encountered:

This isn't a tourist site—it's an operating university. Avoid entering lecture halls or photographing students' faces head-on.
Bicycles pass quickly. I had to step aside twice while absorbed in my camera in the middle of the street.
When fallen leaves are wet, the brick paving becomes quite slippery. Some sections have uneven ground, so I wouldn't recommend heeled shoes.
Be prepared for the smell of ginkgo fruit. It's definitely noticeable in certain spots beneath the trees. It's less pungent on windy days.
There are convenience stores and cafes on campus, but their hours vary by semester and day of the week. It's convenient to buy water before entering.