November 15 on the Approach to a Shrine
The children are the first thing you notice: five-year-olds in pint-sized haori jackets, three-year-olds still unsteady on their feet, seven-year-olds gripping their parents' hands and trying not to look pleased with themselves. The chitose-ame candy comes in long, thin sticks in a paper bag printed with a crane and a turtle, meant to be eaten slowly, over years, for a long life. It is a cold, bright morning in mid-November, and every shrine in Yokohama and the surrounding prefectures is doing the same thing at the same time. Shichi-Go-San — 7-5-3 — falls on November 15, and while the source material for this guide lists no specific Shichi-Go-San events in Yokohama itself, the day is observed at shrines across the region, and the city's autumn calendar is running at full tilt around it. What follows is what you can reliably do in and around Yokohama in the days and weeks on either side of that date.
Autumn Leaves at Their Peak, and Where to See Them
Mid-to-late November is the peak of the autumn colour in this part of Kanagawa, and the timing sits almost exactly on top of 7-5-3 Day. Three places the source material names are worth building a day around:
- Sankeien Garden, in Yokohama itself — a traditional Japanese garden where the maples turn in November, and one of the few places in the city where you can see autumn colour without leaving the urban area.
- Hakone — the mountain areas around Gora, Lake Ashi and the Hakone Museum of Art, where the season runs later than the coast because of the elevation.
- Kamakura's temples — Hokokuji and Engakuji/Kenchoji are specifically noted for their autumn foliage.
Cherry blossom season, for reference, peaks late March to early April in this region, slightly later than central Tokyo in the hillier spots. If you are planning a spring trip instead of an autumn one, Odawara Castle, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and its Dankazura approach, Sankeien Garden and Hakone are the names to hold onto.
A Day Trip to Kamakura: Shrine Festivals and Mounted Archery
Kamakura is a distinct day-trip zone from Yokohama, and in the autumn it has its own reason to go. Tsurugaoka Hachimangu holds its Reitaisai — the shrine's most important annual festival — in mid-September, traditionally September 14–16, with yabusame, or mounted archery, performed in a more solemn register than at the spring event. In mid-April the shrine holds Kamakura Matsuri across the second and third Sundays of the month, where yabusame and the Shizuka-no-mai dance are the highlights. Exact dates for both are confirmed on the shrine's own site each year. The shrine is also a New Year hatsumode destination, and its Dankazura approach is a cherry-blossom spot in spring. Kamakura is reachable on the JR lines from Yokohama, and the Enoden tram connects it along the coast.
Fireworks Over the Harbour, and the Minato Mirai Waterfront
Yokohama's port fireworks run as short displays over the harbour through the warmer months, with the Minato Mirai skyline as the backdrop. In 2026 the dates given are June 13; July 4, 7 and 18; August 9; and September 5 and 20. The Minato Mirai Smart Festival, a music-synchronised display across the Minato Mirai 21 waterfront, is set for August 24 (Monday), 18:00–20:00; paid seating is recommended and the free waterfront spots fill early. Elsewhere in the prefecture there is the Ayase City Fireworks on August 22 (Saturday, around 2,500 shells), the Shonan Hiratsuka Fireworks on August 28 (Friday, around 3,000 shells on the Shonan coast), the Sagamihara Noryo Fireworks on September 5 (Saturday, around 8,000 shells, among the prefecture's largest), and the Enoshima Autumn Fireworks on October 17 (Saturday) over Katase Kaigan West Beach with Enoshima as the backdrop.
July and August events are hot and humid — bring water, a hat and a fan. Trains (JR Tokaido, Enoden, Hakone-Tozan) are preferable to driving on festival days. If you are booking a Yokohama hotel around the late-August Smart Festival, book early.
Tanabata in Early July, and the Wider Autumn Calendar
The Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival runs July 3–5, 2026, roughly 09:30–20:30, with an earlier close on the final day. It is one of Kanto's three great Tanabata festivals, known for large character-themed streamer decorations, and food stalls cluster around Hiratsuka Station. It is accessible on the JR Tokaido Line from Yokohama or Tokyo.
Looking further into autumn, the Hakone Feudal Lord Procession (Daimyo Gyoretsu) takes place on November 3, Culture Day, annually — around 170 participants in Edo-period costume parade roughly 6km through Hakone-Yumoto with cries of "shitanii, shitanii." Access is via the Hakone-Tozan line, and it is often combined with an onsen stay; Hakone ryokan book up around that date. In Yokohama, the Minato Mirai district hosts rotating large events through the year — summer character takeovers, Yokohama Oktoberfest at the Red Brick Warehouse in October, and seasonal fairs including a winter ice rink and spring flower and food events. Dates vary, so check the Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Winter Illuminations and the Turn of the Year
From late 2026 the winter illuminations return: Enoshima's "Shonan no Hoseki" around the Sea Candle and Samuel Cocking Garden; the Yokohama Minato Mirai waterfront and Red Brick Warehouse, plus the Art Rink outdoor skating; and Sagamiko Illumillion. For New Year, hatsumode is observed at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura and at Kawasaki Daishi, the first sunrise over Sagami Bay is watched from Shonan and Enoshima, and countdowns take place along the Yokohama waterfront. December also brings year-end markets.
Dates for outdoor events can shift for weather or organiser decisions, and ticketed events sell out — confirm on official sites before you travel. Yokohama, Kamakura/Shonan and Hakone are three distinct zones, and each deserves its own day. Start with the shrine morning on November 15, build the autumn leaves around it, and let the harbour fireworks and the Kamakura festivals fill in the rest of the year.