Best places to see autumn in Japan

Việt Nam•25/10/2023

From November onwards, the forests of Japan are at their most vibrant, displaying a riot of golden and red foliage.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) forecast, updated in early October, the area with the earliest autumn foliage change is Sapporo, starting on October 28th and lasting until the end of November. Other areas such as Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka will see their leaves change color later, starting on November 22nd and continuing into mid-December.

Below are 10 suggested autumn foliage viewing spots in famous areas of Japan, recommended by Klook. Travelers can refer to these suggestions to prepare for their trip to the Land of the Rising Sun next month.

Watarase Keikoku Railway

The Watarase Keikoku Railway, connecting Kiryu Station (Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture) with Mato Station (Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture), is a famous cherry blossom and autumn foliage viewing spot in Japan. Its predecessor was the Ashio Railway, built in 1911 to serve a copper mine in Ashio (Nikko). A highlight along the railway is the Takatsudokyo Gorge, offering another prime location for viewing the valley and the surrounding amber rainforest. (Photo: tokyoandaroundtokyo)

Icho Namiki Street

Icho Namiki Street is located within Meiji Jingu Park, a park in the heart of Tokyo. The street is lined with golden ginkgo trees, making it a convenient spot for tourists to admire the autumn foliage. (Photo: Japan Guide)

Osaka Castle

This is one of the famous landmarks in the Land of the Rising Sun, playing an important role during the Sengoku period (Warring States period, 1467-1615), located in Osaka Prefecture. The castle was owned by Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and later by the Tokugawa family. In May, CNN voted this site as one of the 10 most beautiful castles in Japan.

Osaka Castle has 5 exterior levels and 8 interior levels. The area surrounding the castle is bustling with food vendors catering to visitors. Mid-November is predicted to be the time when the foliage is at its most vibrant, according to the JMA forecast. Visitors need to purchase a $4 ticket to enter Osaka Castle. Photo: jooby81

Hitachi Seaside Park

This park, spanning 350 hectares, is famous for its nemophila flowers, also known as blue-eyed flowers, which are the symbolic flower of Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. Besides nemophila, the park boasts approximately one million daffodils, 250,000 tulips, 80,000 rapeseed flowers, and 150 plum trees that bloom at different times of the year.

The highlight of Hitachi Park in autumn is the hills of Kokia grass changing color to red. The best time to see the Kokia grass is in October when entire hillsides are a deep red. By the end of October and the beginning of November, the Kokia grass gradually turns yellowish-brown. Photo: Triplerin

Mount Gozaisho

Mount Gozaisho is located on the border between Komono, Mie Prefecture, and Higashi-Omi, Shiga Prefecture, in the heart of Suzuka Quasi National Park. To fully appreciate the autumn scenery on Mount Gozaisho, visitors should take the Gozaisho Cable Car, offering panoramic views of the forest with its mix of golden, red, and green leaves at an altitude of over 1,000 meters.

The autumn colors on Mount Gozaisho begin at the summit in mid-October. The leaves gradually change color down the slopes, with the final point of yellow and red foliage being the Yunoyama hot springs. This leaf-changing process lasts for about a month. The round-trip cable car ticket to Mount Gozaisho costs 2 yen (approximately 345,000 VND). Photo: fromjapan.info

Kiyomizu Temple

Located atop a small mountain in eastern Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera Temple offers panoramic views of the city. Kiyomizu-dera Temple is dedicated to the Thousand-Eyed, Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva. Kiyomizu means "pure water" or "sacred water." The temple is a cultural heritage site of the ancient capital of Kyoto. It was built in 778 under the leadership of the Dharmakaya sect monk Enchin. Having suffered several fires, the current structure was rebuilt in 1633. Surrounded by cherry blossom and maple trees, Kiyomizu-dera Temple is particularly popular during spring and autumn. (Photo: Unsplash)

Nara Park

Nara Park, located at the foot of Mount Wakakusa, is a must-see tourist attraction in Kyoto. It is home to over 1,200 wild sika deer. The park is unfenced, allowing the deer to roam freely. Visitors can take close-up photos with the deer and feed them biscuits sold along the paths.

The park also has many maple trees, creating a vibrant red landscape in autumn. This year, the autumn foliage in Kyoto changed color from late November to mid-December. Photo: good_ol_lapin

Sagano train

The Sagano Railway departs from Saga Torokko Station on the western edge of Kyoto and travels to the rural town of Kameoka, Kyoto. This 25-minute journey takes passengers through picturesque scenery. Along the more than 7-kilometer route, the train passes through Hoketsu Gorge, covered in forests of golden and red foliage that are a highlight of autumn. (Photo: Adobe stock)

Blue Pond, Hokkaido

Blue Pond is located on the banks of the Bieigawa River near the town of Biei on Hokkaido Island. The lake's water changes color with the seasons and depending on the weather. When there is no wind, the surface of the lake is like a giant mirror placed on the ground. The lake was formed by human activity. In 1988, the nearby Tokachi volcano erupted. To prevent mudflows into the town of Biei, the local government built a dam on the Biei River. This construction created several depressions containing water, including Blue Pond.

Here, Shirahige Falls originates in the Tokachi Mountains, cascading down cliffs into the Biei River. The water, combined with the aluminum content in the cliffs, creates the lake's unique blue color. In autumn, the pine and birch forests surrounding the lake turn red, attracting visitors. Photo: Unsplash

Jojankei Hot Springs

Jozankei Hot Springs in Shikotsu-Toya National Park is the largest hot spring town in Hokkaido, with around twenty ryokan (traditional Japanese inns). It is one of Hokkaido's main tourist attractions, drawing 1.4 million visitors annually, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

The mountain ranges surrounding Jozankei Hot Springs make the autumn scenery even more magnificent. It's considered one of the best places to see autumn foliage in Hokkaido. Visitors should come in early November, when the leaves in Hokkaido are at their most vibrant and beautiful, according to JMA. Photo: 1999_hiromi

According to vnexpress.net

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