Naritasan Temple hosts autumn leaves festival from 14 November
Published on 11/14/2026 at 15:24 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSFestival programme and temple grounds
- The Narita City Tourism Association stages the festival at Naritasan Park from 14 to 29 November 2026.
- Concerts and tea gatherings take place on seven weekend and holiday dates, with performances at Ukimido.
- Naritasan Temple was founded in 940, and its garden was completed in 1928.
- Keisei-Narita Station and JR Narita Station provide access to the temple grounds in Narita.
Naritasan Temple (Naritasan Shinsho-ji) in Narita will host the Naritasan Park Autumn Leaves Festival from 14 to 29 November 2026. The programme brings concerts and tea gatherings into the temple grounds during a period when the park's trees usually turn red and yellow.
Naritasan Park festival brings music to the temple grounds
The 27th Naritasan Park Autumn Leaves Festival is being held at Naritasan Park, behind the temple's Great Main Hall. The Narita City Tourism Association lists the festival dates as 14 to 29 November 2026 and identifies Naritasan Shinshoji Temple as the venue in its official festival programme.
Concerts and tea gatherings are scheduled for 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 November. The concert programme includes tsugaru shamisen, koto, shakuhachi and erhu performances, with two sessions each day at 11am and 1.30pm.
The concerts are planned for Ukimido, a pavilion on Ryuchi Pond. The organiser says the venue may move to the Naritasan Calligraphy Museum in wet weather, and the 15 November concert has already been moved there because of the forecast.
A 1928 garden frames the autumn programme at Naritasan Temple
Naritasan Park covers 165,000 square metres and was completed in 1928. The garden lies behind the Great Main Hall and contains ponds, sloping paths and trees including maples, oaks and ginkgoes.
The organiser describes around 250 trees whose leaves generally change colour from mid-November to early December. That seasonal setting links the festival programme directly to the park rather than treating the temple only as a backdrop.
The wider religious site was founded in 940 by the monk Kancho. The National Diet Library records the temple's place in the Chisan school of Shingon Buddhism and identifies Komyodo Hall, Shakado Hall and the Three Storied Pagoda as Important Cultural Properties in its history of Naritasan Temple.
Music, tea and calligraphy extend the November programme
The tea gatherings take place beside the Calligraphy Museum at Sekishoan tea house on six of the listed dates. They are not scheduled for 23 November, although the festival's concert programme continues that day.
The Calligraphy Museum will also hold calligraphy experiences on 21 and 22 November. The museum's special programme is part of the festival setting, placing another cultural activity beside the garden, ponds and historic temple buildings.
For visitors, the result is a defined autumn programme across the grounds: traditional music at the floating pavilion, tea gatherings beside the museum and calligraphy activities later in the festival. The precise concert venue on 15 November is the museum because of the weather forecast, while other arrangements remain listed for Naritasan Park.
Visiting Naritasan Temple: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Naritasan Park Autumn Leaves Festival runs from 14 to 29 November 2026 at Naritasan Park within the Naritasan Temple grounds.
- Concerts and tea gatherings are scheduled on 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 28 and 29 November; the 15 November concert is at the Calligraphy Museum because of rain.
- The temple is in Narita, Chiba, and can be reached from Keisei-Narita Station or JR Narita Station.
- The park covers 165,000 square metres and includes sloping paths, ponds and a floating pavilion at Ryuchi Pond.
- Japanese is the official language and the national currency is the yen.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Naritasan Temple
When does the Naritasan Park Autumn Leaves Festival take place at Naritasan Temple?
The festival runs from 14 to 29 November 2026 in Naritasan Park within the temple grounds.
What is Naritasan Temple?
Naritasan Temple is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Narita that was founded in 940. Several buildings, including Komyodo Hall and the Three Storied Pagoda, are Important Cultural Properties.
Where is Naritasan Temple and how do you get there?
The temple is in Narita, Chiba, Japan. Keisei-Narita Station and JR Narita Station provide access to the temple area.
