HOW: The weather is cooling down, the humidity is dropping, leaves are changing colour and life is good in Tokyo. Rikugien Garden, Meiji Jingu Gaien, Shinjuku Gyoen – all these parks, with their maple and ginkgo trees exploding with colour, are popular spots for locals to view those autumn leaves and eat hot chestnuts roasted streetside by hawkers at mobile carts. This is also sumo season: the last of the three grand tournaments held in the city throughout the year at the Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena takes place for two weeks in late September, with tickets available to the public. Autumn is also a fine time to be eating in Tokyo, particularly if you like chestnuts – even the shelves of 7-Eleven convenience stores are stocked with Mont Blancs, the chestnut-based desserts, at only a few dollars each. This is also the season for both bonito and ikura, or salmon roe, which you can enjoy at a classic izakaya such as Uoshin, a seafood specialist with branches in Ebisu and Shimokitazawa. Speaking of Shimokitazawa, your accommodation in autumn is the stylish and boutique Mustard Hotel, providing access not just to its trendy home neighbourhood, but also the parks and gardens around Shinjuku and Shibuya.
AloJapan.com