Journal

Okayama Korakuen Autumn Night Garden 2026 | An Evening Stroll in Okayama, by JR Ako Line from Hinase

For just ten evenings each autumn, Okayama Korakuen — one of Japan's three most celebrated landscape gardens — opens after dark for its Autumn Night Garden, letting you walk the grounds by soft light in the season of turning leaves.

What is it?

Okayama Korakuen is a feudal lord's garden created in the Edo period and is counted among Japan's three great landscape gardens. It normally closes in the late afternoon, but during set periods in spring, summer and autumn it reopens at night for the "Genso Teien" (literally "fantasy garden").

The autumn edition falls right as the leaves begin to change. Compared with the open lawns and ponds you see by day, the night garden is quieter and more intimate: trees glow against the dark and their reflections shimmer on the water.

Dates and venue

  • Dates: Friday, November 20 – Sunday, November 29, 2026
  • Hours: 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm (last entry 8:00 pm)
  • Venue: Okayama Korakuen (Kita Ward, Okayama City)
  • Admission: 500 yen for adults; other rates apply by category — please check the official information.

Hours and prices may change, so please check the official information before you go.

Getting there from our Hinase stay

  • By train: From JR Hinase or Sogo Station, take the JR Ako Line to Okayama Station. From there, a local bus to Korakuen-mae takes about 10–15 minutes; you can also take a tram and walk, or a taxi (about 10 minutes). Trains on the Ako Line are not frequent, so check your return train in advance.
  • By car: Korakuen has a paid car park (no reservations). It can be slow to enter at busy times.

Tips

  • Arrive before sunset: See the exterior of Okayama Castle in daylight, then enter the garden after dark to enjoy both faces of the place. A combined ticket for Korakuen and the castle keep is available.
  • Dress warmly: Late-November evenings get chilly — bring a jacket and comfortable shoes.
  • Morning in Hinase: After an evening in Okayama, spend the next morning by Hinase Port, where oysters come into season around this time of year.

Official information

After a night among the lanterns and maples, come back to the calm of our stay in Hinase, a quiet port town on the Seto Inland Sea.