Tokyo in November 2026: Weather, Autumn Leaves Timing and What’s On

Tokyo · November 2026 · Weather, autumn leaves and dates

By Nobu · sources checked 14–20 October 2026 · a researched guide. I live in Fujiyoshida, west of Tokyo.

Tokyo in November is cool, fairly dry and short on daylight. JMA’s 1991–2020 normals give a high of 16.7°C, a low of 8.8°C and 7.4 days with 1 mm or more of rain. Sunset moves from 16:46 on 1 November 2026 to 16:28 on the 30th. JMA’s normal colouring dates are 23 November for ginkgo and 28 November for maple.

Jump to: Weather · Daylight · Autumn leaves · November 2026 dates · Jingu Gaien redevelopment · First or second half? · Day trips · FAQ

Tokyo weather in November: the JMA numbers

JMA’s 1991–2020 normals for its Tokyo station describe an average month, not a forecast for 2026.

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency, Tokyo station, monthly normals 1991–2020. Sunshine rounded to the hour.

November has less than half of October’s precipitation (96.3 mm against 234.8 mm) and three fewer days with 1 mm or more. JMA’s ten-day normals give an average high of 18.6°C and low of 10.6°C for 1–10 November, and 14.9°C and 7.1°C for 21–30 November. The normal count of November days with a high of 25°C or more is 0.0, against 5.7 in October.

Daylight: plan the sights before 16:30

The National Astronomical Observatory’s almanac for Tokyo gives sunrise at 6:02 and sunset at 16:46 on 1 November 2026. By 30 November the times are 6:31 and 16:28. Daylight shrinks from 10 hours 44 minutes to 9 hours 57 minutes.

When the leaves turn in Tokyo

Two kinds of date get quoted. JMA records when one sample tree turns; forecasters such as the Japan Weather Association (JWA) publish best-viewing windows for named spots.

Where to go, garden by garden, is in our Tokyo autumn leaves guide. The ginkgo avenue, its light-up and the works at its far end are in our Meiji Jingu Gaien ginkgo guide.

JMA’s dates describe its Tokyo sample trees, not peak viewing at individual gardens, and the 21–23 November long weekend is no guarantee of peak colour. Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. If you are aiming for that weekend, compare Tokyo hotels for your dates and check each listing’s cancellation terms.

November 2026 in Tokyo, date by date

Labels as checked on 18 October 2026: 2026 confirmed (on the organiser’s or the government’s page), usually (on a standing annual calendar or a customary date; no 2026 programme on the linked page).

Not listed for 2026. Two Jingu Gaien events had no 2026 date on the linked pages when checked on 18 October 2026. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced the 2025 ginkgo avenue light-up on 7 November 2025; it ran 22–30 November. Meiji Jingu Gaien’s event page lists a ginkgo festival held from 15 November to 1 December 2019, but gives no 2026 date.

The two holidays

Culture Day is a Tuesday, so Monday 2 November is a working day. Labour Thanksgiving Day, on Monday 23 November, makes 21–23 November a three-day weekend. Shinjuku Gyoen is open on Monday 23 November and closed on Tuesday 24, and it is also closed on 16 and 30 November.

For scale, nationwide and not for Tokyo alone: JNTO, the national tourism organisation, counted 3,517,659 visitors to Japan in November 2025, the sixth-busiest month of that year. The January–August 2026 total is 2.7% below the same period of 2025; JNTO marks the latest monthly figures, July and August, as estimates. Neither figure predicts November 2026.

Shichi-Go-San: what visitors see

Japan’s Association of Shinto Shrines (Jinja Honcho) says Shichi-Go-San is thought to come from three old customs. At three, boys and girls began to grow their hair. At five, boys first wore hakama trousers. At seven, girls changed from a child’s ties to an adult’s obi sash. It says the custom of celebrating on 15 November spread in the Edo period, and that shrine grounds are busy with families in their best clothes on the weekends and holidays around that date. In 2026 the 15th is a Sunday.

Meiji Jingu holds Shichi-Go-San prayers in its Kaguraden hall daily. Families register on the day; the listed reception hours are 9:00 to 16:20, but the shrine reminds visitors that the gates close earlier in November and December (16:10 in November). Individuals need no booking, and the reception may move during the Shichi-Go-San season. Meiji Jingu asks visitors to refrain from hiring professional photographers for commemorative shots. If you want to photograph a family, ask their permission first.

Tori no Ichi at Otori Shrine

Otori Shrine in Asakusa lists two fair days for 2026: Saturday 7 November and Thursday 19 November. Each runs for 24 hours, from the first drum at midnight to the next midnight. The fair is held on the days of the rooster (tori) in November; the shrine says that when there are two, it runs to the second, and when there are three, to the third. The eve rites start at 23:15 on 6 and 18 November; the shrine asks anyone who wants to attend them to book in advance.

The shrine counts about 150 stalls selling kumade, decorated bamboo rakes, and about 750 other stalls, with 700,000 to 800,000 visitors a year.

The Jingu Gaien redevelopment

Four developers, Mitsui Fudosan, Meiji Jingu, the Japan Sport Council and Itochu, are rebuilding the baseball stadium and rugby ground beside the ginkgo avenue and adding office and hotel towers; their plan page gives 2038 for completion. The plan says the four rows of ginkgo will be kept without felling. Across the area, 619 trees 3 m or taller are to be felled, while new planting is to raise the number of such trees from 1,904 to 2,304.

On 5 September 2023 ICOMOS, the heritage advisory body, and its Japanese national committee issued a Heritage Alert asking for the project to be withdrawn. It said piles for the new ballpark, 6 m from the ginkgo trunks, would put a heavy burden on the trees, some of which were not in good health.

The developers’ Q&A, read on 14 October 2026, says their policy is now to set the new ballpark’s basement about 18.3 m back from the avenue’s kerb, 10.3 m further than before. Kyodo reported on 12 May 2026 that the Tokyo District Court had that day dismissed a suit by 82 residents against Shinjuku City’s felling permit, ruling that they lacked standing; a separate residents’ suit against Tokyo’s February 2023 approval of the project was then still before the court.

For visitors: the developers say no road closures are planned for their works at present. What is fenced off and closed this autumn is in our ginkgo avenue guide.

First half or second half of November?

Temperatures are JMA’s daily normals for Tokyo; sunsets are NAOJ’s for 2026.

In early November, long sleeves and a light jacket cover most days. By late November the normal low is about 7°C, so add a warmer layer for the evening light-ups. The full packing list is in what to wear in Japan in November. Check the latest JMA and leaf forecasts before you go; JMA updates its one-month forecast every Thursday.

Day trips for autumn colour near Tokyo

For the Tokyo spots below, check tenki.jp’s Tokyo page (Japanese) before you go. For the others, see the guides linked in the table. Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. If you need live route information on day trips, compare Japan eSIMs before departure.

Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. Compare stays in Hakone

Paid link: I may earn a commission if you book. For Kawaguchiko, compare Mount Fuji day tours and check whether the route includes the lake. For the rest of Japan in November, see our Japan in November 2026 guide. For a full day in the mountains, see Nikko’s autumn leaves; for a small garden inside the city, Otaguro Park in Ogikubo.

Tokyo in November: FAQ

Is November a good time to visit Tokyo?

For autumn leaves and mild, fairly dry weather, yes. In JMA’s normals November has 7.4 days with 1 mm or more of rain, against 10.5 in October. Plan around short days (sunset 16:28 by 30 November 2026), the 21–23 November long weekend and Sunday 15 November, the customary Shichi-Go-San date.

How cold is Tokyo in November?

JMA’s 1991–2020 normal is a high of 16.7°C and a low of 8.8°C for the month. It cools from a normal 19.4 / 11.6°C on 1 November to 14.2 / 6.4°C on 30 November. The normal count of November days with a low below 0°C is 0.0.

When do the autumn leaves peak in Tokyo in 2026?

JMA’s normal dates for its Tokyo sample trees are 23 November for ginkgo and 28 November for maple. These are sample-tree dates, not peak viewing at named gardens. For 2026 forecasts at named spots, such as the Gaien ginkgo avenue and Mount Takao, check the Japan Weather Association’s tenki.jp Tokyo page (Japanese), which it updates during the season.

Does it rain much in Tokyo in November?

Less than in September or October: the normal is 96.3 mm and 7.4 days with 1 mm or more. JMA’s three-month forecast of 20 October 2026 gives a 50% chance of above-normal precipitation for Kanto-Koshin in November (30% normal, 20% below).

What’s on in Tokyo in November 2026?

Culture Day on Tuesday 3 November; Tori no Ichi at Otori Shrine, Asakusa, on 7 and 19 November; Shichi-Go-San, customarily on 15 November (a Sunday this year); the Tokyo Christmas Market at Shin-Toyosu from 20 November; and Labour Thanksgiving Day on Monday 23 November.

Is the November Grand Sumo tournament in Tokyo?

No. The November 2026 Grand Sumo tournament is scheduled for Fukuoka, 8–22 November, and the Japan Sumo Association’s English site showed all dates sold out on 14 October 2026. The next Tokyo tournament is scheduled for 10–24 January 2027.

Sources (checked 14–20 October 2026)

• Japan Meteorological Agency, Tokyo station: monthly normals 1991–2020, days by precipitation, days by temperature, ten-day normals, daily normals for November; three-month forecast for Kanto-Koshin, 20 October 2026 (Japanese)
• JMA phenology: ginkgo yellowing 2025, maple colouring 2025, records ginkgo (PDF), maple (PDF), ginkgo leaf fall (PDF) and observation guidelines (PDF) (Japanese)
• Japan Weather Association, tenki.jp: autumn leaves forecast; spot pages for Meiji Jingu Gaien, Mount Takao, Rikugien and Tokyo spots (Japanese)
• National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, sunrise and sunset, Tokyo, November 2026; Cabinet Office, national holidays (Japanese)
• Events: Otori Shrine, Tori no Ichi 2026; Jinja Honcho, Shichi-Go-San; Meiji Jingu, annual events, visitor rules and gate times, prayers; Shinjuku Gyoen, November 2026 calendar; Tokyo Christmas Market 2026 and organisers’ release of 30 September 2026 (via San-tatsu); Meiji Jingu Gaien, events; Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2025 ginkgo light-up release and October 2026 press list; Japan Sumo Association, tournament schedule and English site (mostly Japanese)
• Jingu Gaien: developers’ plan and Q&A in Japanese and English; ICOMOS, Heritage Alert executive summary, 5 September 2023 (PDF); Kyodo, ruling on the felling permit, 12 May 2026 (via Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Japanese)
• JNTO, visitor arrivals by month, 2003–2026 (PDF)