When Can You See Autumn Leaves at Hirosaki Castle? The Festival from 30 October

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to see autumn leaves at Hirosaki Castle in Hirosaki Park. It covers the Chrysanthemum and Autumn Foliage Festival from 30 October to 8 November 2026, the evening lights, admission fees and some park rules. It also notes one closure that matters: you cannot go inside the castle keep.

We used the festival page and the event page of the Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Bureau. The pages were last updated on 4 September 2026 and read on 2026-10-04. Dates and prices can change, so check the bureau's page again before you go.

The festival in brief

The festival runs for 10 days, from Friday 30 October to Sunday 8 November 2026. The main venue is the Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden inside the park. The bureau says it began in 1962 under the name Chrysanthemum and Maple Festival. Flower art and local chrysanthemum displays are the centre of the daytime events.

The bureau says the park has about 1,100 maple trees and 2,600 cherry trees. Another bureau page says about 1,000 maple trees, so treat the count as approximate.

Admission

The bureau gives these prices. Adults means high school students and older.

• Botanical Garden only: adults 320 yen, children 100 yen. Groups of 10 or more: 250 yen and 80 yen.
• Common ticket for the Botanical Garden, the main castle grounds and the Fujita Memorial Garden: adults 520 yen, children 160 yen.
• Hirosaki Marugoto Tourist Coupon: 1,000 yen for adults or children, bought online only. It also covers the Tsugaru-han Neputa Village.

Admission is free for several groups, including kindergarten children and younger, and local residents aged 65 or older. You need proof such as an ID card for these groups.

The castle keep is closed inside

The bureau says inside viewing of the Hirosaki Castle keep has been suspended since 24 November 2025, and will stay suspended for the time being, perhaps several years. You can still see the keep from outside.

Evenings

• Autumn leaf lighting runs from 30 October to mid-November, 16:00 to 21:00. A note on the page says it has been extended to 16 November.
• During the festival, the Botanical Garden stays open until 20:00, with last entry at 19:30. After the festival it closes at 17:00, with last entry at 16:30.
• Projection mapping runs from 17:30 to 19:30 each day of the festival at the Jiyu Hiroba square in the Botanical Garden.
• Bamboo-lantern art and special lighting of autumn cherry blossoms in front of the Otemon gate are on the same hours.

Hirosaki's cherry trees can bloom a second time. The bureau says a type called the October cherry blooms in spring and again in autumn, and the best time to see it in autumn is October.

Other things to do during the festival

• The opening ceremony is on Friday 30 October at 10:00 at the Botanical Garden stage.
• A children's mini Shinkansen runs every day from 09:00 to 16:00 and is free.
• The local products centre in the park is open from 09:00 to 17:00 during the festival, and the hours may be extended. Food stalls in the Botanical Garden run from 09:00 to 20:00.
• The middle moat boat runs from 09:00 to 17:00, with last boarding at 16:30, from 30 October to 8 November. You cannot reserve in advance. The fee is 1,000 yen for junior high school students and older, and 500 yen for elementary school children. Preschoolers ride free, one child per adult. Weather and crowds can change the schedule.

Park rules

• Flying a drone in the park without permission is prohibited.
• Please do not walk pets in the park, except assistance dogs. You may carry a pet in a cage, a pet cart or your arms, but not into buildings.
• Free Wi-Fi called HIROSAKI_Free_Wi-Fi is available in the park from 05:00 to 21:00.
• Take your rubbish home or sort it at the stations in the venue.

Getting there

The park is about 30 minutes on foot from JR Hirosaki Station, or about 15 minutes on the Dotemachi Loop Bus. Details are in our access guide.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• This year's leaf colour. The bureau's leaf bulletin on the page showed last year's report, so we did not use it.
• Crowd levels and weather on any given day.

Related guides

• How do you get to Hirosaki and ride the Dotemachi Loop Bus?
• What is Hirosaki? Apples, the castle and festivals

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Hirosaki Castle Chrysanthemum and Autumn Foliage Festival (Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Bureau) — (dates, fees, lights, rules, keep closure)
2. Event and experience information (Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Bureau) — (tree count, access)
3. Dotemachi Loop Bus (Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Bureau) — (extra evening trips)
4. Guide for when you are feeling ill (Japan National Tourism Organization) — (emergency numbers)