December in Yokohama Park

Known for its vibrant autumn colors, Japan is a great place to visit during this colorful season where the natural wonders of nature can really help brighten up the shorter, colder and darker pre-winter days. However, somewhat ironically, the last 2 years has witnessed a culmination of adverse weather conditions including, warmer temperatures, heavy rain fall and numerous typhoons which have all taken their toll on the usually vibrant autumn foliage. This is something I have had the misfortune of seeing firsthand after visiting several famous places only to discover that many of the leaves have either prematurely shriveled up or failed to bloom at the expected time. Out of desperation in wanting to catch at least a few of this year’s last remaining autumn colors, I hastily headed on over to Yokohama Park after remembering it has a pleasant traditional Japanese style garden.

Located directly next to the huge baseball stadium (home of the ‘DeNA’-Yokohama Bay Stars), this garden presents a stark contrast to the surrounding area that is a never ending labyrinth of high rise office blocks, shopping streets and countless entertainment and eating facilities.

Established in 1876 and designed by Richard Henry Brunton (A British Technologist), Yokohama Park is registered as being one of the oldest parks in Japan and plays host to a variety of different festivals throughout the year. One of these festivals includes its famous tulip displays in May that draws visitors from all over Japan and beyond.

Situated towards the north-eastern side of this park and overlooking the entrance to Chinatown, is a pleasant Japanese style garden that has risen to prominence over the last few years for its autumn colors. Upon entering this garden, I was immediately relieved to see a vast array of contrasting colors on display. Although admittedly, this years autumn foliage may not be up to the high standard of previous years, this garden still presents a pretty sight worth seeing