2025 Japan Autumn Foliage Forecast!

Autumn in Japan is the gentlest season of the year. Starting in September, the 'koyo front' (autumn foliage front) gradually moves south from Hokkaido. Different regions are successively painted in shades of red and gold, as if time itself is flowing. Want to chase the autumn leaves? Save this timetable!

🇯🇵 Hokkaido (Late October - Early November)
The first place in Japan to welcome autumn.
📍 Recommended attractions: Daisetsuzan National Park, Sounkyo Gorge, Shiretoko Five Lakes, Jozankei Onsen
The mountain peaks begin to turn red by late September, with early October being the peak. Sounkyo Gorge is enveloped by autumn leaves, and with the mist and waterfalls, it resembles an oil painting. Jozankei is the perfect spot for enjoying hot springs while admiring the autumn foliage.

🍁 Tohoku Region (Late October)
Where autumn colors are most vibrant.
📍 Aomori: Oirase Stream, Akita: Dakigaeri Valley, Miyagi: Naruko Gorge
Here, the autumn leaves intertwine with streams and mist, creating a serene beauty. Kakunodate's Samurai District (Bukeyashiki Street) feels like a maple-leaf town from a bygone era.

🗼 Kanto Region (Late October - Mid-November)
An autumn foliage season where city and nature intertwine.
📍 Tokyo: Mount Takao, Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura
Tokyo's autumn leaves are most beautiful from early to mid-November. Take the cable car up Mount Takao, and you'll be surrounded by autumn leaves all the way. Nikko's Shinkyo Bridge and Toshogu Shrine, set against the autumn leaves, create a picturesque scene and are among Japan's top ten autumn foliage spots.

🏔️ Chubu Region (Early November - Late November)
Autumn leaves with snow-capped mountains – that's the romance of Chubu.
📍 Nagano: Karuizawa, Yamanashi: Fuji Five Lakes, Gifu: Shirakawa-go
The Autumn Leaves Festival at the foot of Mount Fuji (late October - mid-November) is incredibly dreamy, with blue skies, lake reflections, snow-capped peaks, and autumn leaves forming a perfect tableau. Shirakawa-go's gassho-zukuri houses, set against the maple leaves, exude a fairytale-like tranquility.

⛩️ Kansai Region (Mid-November - Early December)
Kyoto is the epitome of autumn in Japan.
📍 Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Eikan-do Temple, Kodai-ji Temple, Arashiyama; Nara: Todai-ji Temple Park
The peak season is from mid to late November. Enjoy the autumn leaves at temples during the day and illuminated events at night. The reflection of the night maples at Eikan-do Temple is especially recommended, truly a fairyland on earth.

🌸 Kyushu Region (Late November - Mid-December)
The last stop for autumn.
📍 Fukuoka: Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, Oita: Yufuin, Kumamoto: Mount Aso
With its warm climate, the autumn leaves arrive late. Soaking in the Yufuin Onsen while watching the autumn leaves fall outside the window is the most healing moment of early winter.
🍂 From north to south, Japan's autumn foliage season lasts for nearly three months. Some say that autumn in Japan is not a fleeting spectacle, but a slow-flowing poem. No matter where you go, you can encounter that place's "most beautiful moment of autumn leaves."