Rikugien Gardens Autumn Light-Up 2024
The Rikugien Gardens Autumn Light-up is another Tokyo seasonal event to enjoy. It often borders on the magical. I get excited about it, and 2024 was no exception. In some ways, it blew me away. I got satisfactory photos. But I left with mixed feelings. Let’s look at it.
I bought my ticket online. That was good because I didn’t need to waste time queuing at the admin office for them. After showing it to the staff on arrival, they directed me to the correct line. People who bought theirs that night waited at another one. That was okay, because I got in earlier than them.
This was the first thing I noticed. Both lines were short. The crowd wasn’t huge, which made for a pleasant experience. The paths around the pond were a rugby scrum in previous years. I’m not joking. There were so many people. We advanced through the park at a snail’s pace.
That wasn’t the case this year. We had space. Getting lost in the crowd wasn’t going to happen. It was brilliant. I took my time taking photos. That was a first for a Rikugien Gardens Autumn Light-up event. It stayed like that for my entire visit.
With few people around, I had a low-stress evening. I stood on the pond’s shore and enjoyed the reflections in it. They made the night more beautiful. No one tried to jostle their way in.
Now, the bad news. The foliage wasn’t great. There was a lot of green and brown. It took away some of the night’s magic. There were probably more red umbrellas than red leaves. That is my luck. I always photograph them either too early or too late. Rarely do I see them during their peak. Am I cursed?
Anyway, I left relatively happy. Rikugien Gardens is a beautiful place day or night. It was another chance to use my new Canon EOS R5. I’m happy with it. The camera worked well in the dark conditions. It picked up the reflections beautifully.
This is an outstanding event to recharge your batteries if you had a hard day in Tokyo. A walk around the pond is an awesome way to spend an evening. You’ll have a great time no matter what color the trees are.
How about you? Have you been to Rikugien Gardens for the Autumn Light-Up? If you have, let us know what you thought of it. Leave questions and comments below.
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External related websites:
- Rikugien Gardens (official website)