Rikugien Garden, Tokyo
Situated in the heart of Tokyo, Rikugien Garden is a popular place all year round but autumn is when the park is at its peak. Built in the 1700s for the Tokugawa Shogun, this landscape garden is so big that it takes at least an hour to properly explore by foot.
Landscaped in what’s commonly considered an Edo-Period strolling garden style, the garden’s dense population of maple trees are what makes it such an impressive autumn location. Between November and December visitors make their way around the weaving park paths to admire the towering trees as they transform from green to fiery shades of red, orange and gold. Between mid-November and December, the park also hosts an evening annual illumination event where you can appreciate the autumn colors long after the sun has set.
Korankei Valley, Aichi
Korankei Valley is considered the best fall colors spot in Aichi Prefecture. Located in Toyota City, this incredible fall foliage spot is what you can explore when traveling around Nagoya during autumn. The valley offers stunning vividly colored leaves and draws thousands of tourists every year. This place should be on your bucket list, especially when you visit Japan in the fall.
The views of fall colors from the Taigetsukyo Bridge are spectacular. In search of mind-boggling views of the river as well as the vividly colored slopes of Iimoriyama, a lot of tourists actually walk across the bridge. The valley is so vibrant and welcoming that anyone would think of coming back here in the future. Visitors here like walking along the trails of Korankei, and find some awesome viewpoints to enjoy the surrounding autumn vistas.
Fujigoko, Mount Fuji
Located in the northern base of Mount Fuji, this popular touristic region offers a number of koyo spots such as the northern shore of Lake Kawaguchiko, the Chureito Pagoda, the Maple Corridor, Yuyake no Nagisa Park and the Koyodai Observation Deck. The region hosts an enchanting fall foliage festival known as The Fuji-Kawaguchiko momiji matsuri, held every year from early November through late November. Every evening during the festival, the Maple Corridor, located near the Kubota Itchku Museum, is lit up gorgeously, making the site pretty overwhelming to behold.
You can visit Oishi Park to see impressive red kokia bushes. Those red bushes often remind me of Hitachi Seaside Park. Both Mount Fuji and Lake Kawaguchiko look breathtaking from different viewpoints of the park.
Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido
Head up to Hokkaido in the north of Japan, and you’ll find Daisetsuzan, Hokkaido’s largest and one of the country’s most beautiful national parks. In fact, this national park is so big its landmass is bigger than some of Japan’s other prefectures.
If you’re a little early for typical autumn viewing further down south, this is an excellent place to add to your itinerary as the area hits its peak in mid-to-late September. You could spend the entire season of autumn here and feel like you still haven’t seen it all. One must-visit to add to your itinerary is the hot spring resort Asahidake Onsen, which sits at the foot of Hokkaido’s highest mountain, the steaming Mount Asahidake.