Happo-en in Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, will hold its annual autumn event TOKYO RED GARDEN 2026 from November 27 (Friday) to December 6 (Sunday), 2026. This is the 8th edition, the first in two years, and the first since the main building was renewed in October 2025. The theme is "Aki, Tsumugu" (秋、紡ぐ。, roughly "Weaving Autumn").
Every day during the event, the garden, which has a history of more than 400 years, is lit in a gradient from orange to red that depicts the changing autumn leaves as a single scene. At ALL DAY DINING FUDO, the restaurant in the main building, event-only menus are available so that visitors can enjoy the special evenings through a meal as well. Visitors of all generations are invited to spend the 10 days when the evening garden is wrapped in light as they like, under the lights.
Event website: https://happo-en.com/tokyoredgarden2026
Garden Light Up: About 60 Orange and Red Lights Illuminate the Whole Garden
This year's TOKYO RED GARDEN brings together the renewed Happo-en and the Japanese garden that has been carried on for 400 years, under red light for the first time. With the garden that has been protected over the years and the main building that has evolved with the times now side by side, Happo-en uses the theme "Aki, Tsumugu" to carry the beauty and culture of the Japanese autumn into the future with a new sensibility.
During the event, a nightly illumination runs every day, with about 60 lights covering about 160 autumn-leaf trees, including maples and ginkgo, in the garden on grounds of about 10,000 tsubo, as well as the water surface and the path from the main gate to the garden. The light moves in a gradient from orange to red, overlaying the deepening of the autumn leaves on a single evening in the garden. A noren curtain (暖簾) made only for this event hangs at the wooden entrance gate (木戸門), and a mist effect is added around the pond, creating a scene in which the light softly blurs, found only this autumn.
Garden Light Up
- Period: November 27 (Friday) to December 6 (Sunday), 2026
- Hours: Sunset to 9:00 PM
- Admission: Free
Notes:
- The colors of the autumn leaves vary by time of year. Happo-en introduces the foliage on its official social media accounts as the season progresses.
- The event-only noren curtain may not be displayed, depending on how the main building is being used.
- Some areas may be closed to visitors depending on banquets held that day.
- In stormy weather such as thunder, strong wind, or heavy rain, the garden light-up may be canceled or entry may be restricted for visitors' safety. Even during the event, strolling in the garden may be suspended or ended if the weather changes suddenly.
- If the event is canceled, Happo-en will announce it on its official X account.
ALL DAY DINING FUDO: Event-Only Course Expressing the Changing Autumn Leaves
During TOKYO RED GARDEN 2026, FUDO serves the RED GARDEN special course, which lets guests feel the changing of autumn. The flow of the whole course expresses the gradually coloring autumn leaves, with changes in flavor, aroma, and lingering finish alongside the visual sense of the season. In keeping with the theme "Aki, Tsumugu," and with the idea of carrying tradition forward, the course starts with an appetizer that uses the salt-crust baking technique (塩殻焼き), which has been handed down in Happo-en's wedding cuisine.
RED GARDEN Special Course Menu
- APPETIZER: Salt-crust-baked beets and squid tiède (ビーツ塩殻焼と烏賊のティエド)
- SOUP: Butternut squash potage (バターナッツかぼちゃのポタージュ)
- FISH: Okitsu-age of shiro-amadai (white tilefish) with suji-aonori seaweed from the Yoshino River (白甘鯛の興津揚げ 吉野川産すじ青のり)
- MEAT: Yonezawa beef round with Nagano wild mushrooms à la crème (米沢牛もも肉 長野県産天然きのこのア・ラ・クレーム)
- DESSERT: Persimmon and kinmokusei (osmanthus), the scent of autumn (柿と金木犀 秋の香り)
- Bread, and coffee or tea
APPETIZER: Salt-Crust-Baked Beets and Squid Tiède
Baking the beets in a salt crust (塩殻焼き) seals in their moisture and flavor, so the beets are cooked without losing their gentle natural sweetness and juiciness. Lightly cooked squid, anchovy, and pistachios are added, and the appetizer is finished with herbs.
SOUP: Butternut Squash Potage
The potage brings out the sweetness of the butternut squash, with the saltiness of cured ham as an accent. It is served with grissini. Breaking them into small pieces and adding them to the soup at the preferred moment changes the texture.
FISH: Okitsu-age of Shiro-Amadai with Suji-Aonori from the Yoshino River
The scales of the shiro-amadai (白甘鯛, white tilefish) are made to stand up, and the fish is prepared okitsu-age (興津揚げ) style. Suji-aonori seaweed from the Yoshino River in Tokushima Prefecture is added to a dashi-based sauce.
MEAT: Yonezawa Beef Round with Nagano Wild Mushrooms à la Crème
Yonezawa beef round from Yamagata Prefecture is roasted. Although it is a round cut, the sweetness of fat characteristic of wagyu can be tasted in good balance. Wild mushrooms from Nagano Prefecture are cooked in cream, and the dish is served with Madeira sauce, burdock chips, and watercress.
The types of mushrooms, such as kaoritake (香茸) and tamagotake (タマゴタケ), vary depending on what is available that day.
DESSERT: Persimmon and Kinmokusei, the Scent of Autumn
The aroma of kinmokusei (金木犀, osmanthus) picked in Happo-en's garden is captured in the mousse and jelly. Persimmon is used both as compote and fresh, to give a variety of textures. The color of the persimmon and the leaf-shaped mousse evoke autumn foliage.
RED GARDEN Special Course Details
- Period: November 27 (Friday) to December 6 (Sunday), 2026
- Location: ALL DAY DINING FUDO, main building
- Hours: Dinner, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM (last entry 7:00 PM)
- Price: ¥8,800 (tax included, service charge not included)
- Reservations: https://www.tablecheck.com/shops/all-day-dining-fudo/reserve
