The First Leaf You Notice Is Always Red
It’s never the whole mountain that gets you — it’s the single maple branch hanging over a temple wall, backlit by afternoon sun, that makes you stop walking. Japan’s autumn foliage season, called koyo, runs roughly from late October through the end of November, moving south from Hokkaido like a slow brushfire. By the time it reaches Kyoto in mid-November, the whole country has been talking about leaves for weeks.
The Japanese take this seriously. Weather agencies publish foliage forecasts starting in September. Office workers plan PTO around peak color predictions. There’s an entire vocabulary for the stages — from irotsuki hajime (first color change) to ochiba (fallen leaves). It’s not just sightseeing. It’s a seasonal ritual with its own rhythm.
Kyoto Gets the Headlines, and Mostly Deserves Them
Let’s get Kyoto out of the way first because everyone’s thinking about it. Tofuku-ji Temple has that famous bridge view over a valley of maples — it’s genuinely spectacular, but it’s also genuinely packed. We’re talking shoulder-to-shoulder on the bridge, inching forward, with people holding phones above their heads. Weekday mornings are better but still busy.
Eikando Temple does nighttime illuminations that are worth the effort. The maples are lit from below, turning the whole garden into something that doesn’t look quite real. The line to get in can stretch for 30-40 minutes on peak nights, so showing up right when they open the evening session helps.
The less-photographed option: Shinnyodo Temple, a 10-minute walk from Eikando. Fraction of the crowds, beautiful maple grove, free entry. It doesn’t have the dramatic valley views, but you can actually stand still and look at the trees without being pushed along.
Arashiyama is tricky. The bamboo grove itself doesn’t change color, obviously, but the surrounding hillsides do, and watching the autumn palette reflect in the Katsura River from Togetsukyo Bridge is one of those views that works better in person than in photos. The problem is the main street — it’s become a tourist corridor that moves at walking-dead pace on weekends. Go early, or take the side paths along the river.
Tokyo: Easier Than You’d Think
Shinjuku Gyoen is probably the most relaxed koyo experience in Japan. It’s a massive park, so it never feels overcrowded the way temple gardens do. The mix of maple and ginkgo means you get reds and golds in the same frame. Entry is 500 yen. Bring a convenience store bento and sit on the grass — this is hanami culture adapted for autumn.
Meiji Jingu Gaien’s ginkgo avenue is the other must-see in Tokyo. Four rows of ginkgo trees lining a straight road, all turning gold at once. It peaks around late November, sometimes into early December depending on the year. The timing is hard to nail down — the trees don’t read the forecast.
For something wilder, Nikko is about two hours north by train. The foliage around Toshogu Shrine and along the Irohazaka switchback road is dramatic, and Nikko peaks earlier than Tokyo (late October to early November), so you could see it at the start of your trip.
The Places Fewer People Go
Oirase Gorge in Aomori is the one that people who’ve been everywhere in Japan tell you about. A mountain stream cutting through a forest of beech and maple — the color reflects in the water and the moss-covered rocks turn this almost surreal green-and-red combination. It peaks in late October, and it’s genuinely remote. That’s the appeal and the drawback.
Hakone works as a day trip from Tokyo. The ropeway gives you aerial views of the autumn hillsides with Mount Fuji behind them, weather permitting. ‘Weather permitting’ is doing a lot of work in that sentence — Fuji hides behind clouds more often than not, so manage expectations.
The Japanese Alps around Kamikochi close for the season in mid-November, but early November catches peak color at higher elevations. This is proper hiking territory, not temple-strolling, so come prepared.
The Honest Logistics
Here’s the part that travel articles usually gloss over: koyo timing is unpredictable. The forecasts help, but a warm October can push everything back by a week. A sudden cold snap can accelerate it. You’re essentially gambling when you book flights months in advance.
The safest bet for Kyoto is November 15-25, but ‘safest’ doesn’t mean ‘guaranteed’. Some years the color isn’t great — too much rain washes out the reds, or the leaves just go brown instead of crimson. Nobody mentions this, but it happens.
Accommodation in Kyoto during peak koyo is expensive and books up fast. Like, two-to-three months in advance fast. Staying in Osaka and taking the train (30 minutes) is a legitimate alternative that saves money.
The JR Pass makes financial sense if you’re covering multiple cities. Tokyo to Kyoto alone is about 13,000 yen each way on the shinkansen, so a 7-day pass at roughly 50,000 yen pays for itself with two round trips. I’d suggest buying through KLOOK — the exchange process at the station is straightforward, and you can sort it before leaving home.
November temperatures range from comfortable (15-18°C midday) to genuinely cold (5-8°C in the mornings, colder in mountain areas). Layers are non-negotiable. Also: comfortable shoes. You’ll walk far more than you expect.
Booking the Bits and Pieces
For activities — temple tours, cycling in Arashiyama, day trips to Nikko — KKday has a decent selection with mobile vouchers. I like that you can book the night before for most things, which helps when you’re adjusting plans based on the weather.
For accommodation, Trip.com tends to have good rates on Japanese hotels, especially if you’re flexible on location. Ryokan (traditional inns) during koyo season are a splurge but a memorable one — just know that the good ones in Kyoto book out absurdly early.
If you need a pocket WiFi or SIM for Japan, AeroBile rents portable WiFi devices that you pick up at the airport. Useful for pulling up maps and foliage forecasts on the go.
When Exactly to Go
The rough guide, and I’m oversimplifying because every year is different:
- Hokkaido and northern Tohoku: Mid-to-late October
- Nikko, Japanese Alps: Late October to early November
- Tokyo area: Mid-November, sometimes later
- Kyoto, Osaka, Nara: Mid-to-late November
- Southern Kyushu: Late November, occasionally into December
The Japan Meteorological Corporation publishes updated forecasts starting around September — worth bookmarking if you’re still deciding on dates. The URL changes yearly so search for ‘紅葉見頃予想’ closer to the time.
One More Thing
The best koyo moment I’ve heard described wasn’t at a famous temple. It was someone sitting on a bench at a random neighborhood park in Osaka, eating a melon pan from the bakery across the street, watching a single ginkgo tree drop leaves into a puddle. No crowds, no entry fee, no Instagram angle. Just a tree doing its thing.
That’s worth keeping in mind. The famous spots are famous for a reason, but autumn happens everywhere in Japan. Sometimes the best view is the one you weren’t looking for.
